Ukrainian Dairy Farmers Brave War Zone Challenges to Sustain Milk Production
Source: The DairyNews
Dairy farmers in Ukraine, once major suppliers in Europe, are confronting unimaginable challenges as they strive to maintain milk production amid the harrowing conditions of war.
With the ongoing conflict with Russia, these farmers are risking their lives on multiple fronts, from diffusing bombs to dealing with the devastating aftermath of the invasion.
Andriy Dykun, president of the Association of Milk Producers of Ukraine, shared the grim reality at the Australian Dairy Conference in Melbourne. He revealed that up to 50% of the dairy industry has been lost, and approximately 200,000 cows have perished, depicting the toll the war has taken on the once-thriving dairy sector.
Images of cows' rotting carcasses, burnt tractors, and bomb-cratered paddocks paint a bleak picture of the challenges faced by Ukrainian dairy farmers. Dykun disclosed that some workers are actively involved in defusing bombs, while others have been drafted into the army to defend their country.
"We have thousands of fields covered in mines, so that's a really big challenge for Ukraine in the future." Farmers have banded together to import a de-mining machine from America in an attempt to clear their paddocks of landmines, - abc.net.au writes.
"As farmers we invested some money into a military roller de-miner … for farmers to use in front of their tractors," Mr Dykun said. Mr Dykun says many men previously working on dairy farms are now in the army, leaving those left behind to try to keep farms operating. "Fifty per cent of employees are mobilised to the army, so if you have 20 men working on your farm, 10 of them are in the army now," he said.
"So you need to think what to do more efficiently on your farm and maybe attract more women to work on your farm." Previously a major exporter of milk products, Ukraine now can't even produce enough milk to meet its own needs. "We were exporting dairy products before the war, but now we are importing," Mr Dykun said.
"But if we stop production, the economy of the country will die." Mr Dykun says like their Australian counterparts, Ukrainian dairy farmers have experienced times of depressed milk prices that created challenges for the industry, but the Russian invasion has put that frustration into perspective.
"Sometimes we were not happy, because the prices were low, but this is not bad, you were lucky," he said.
Andriy Dykun, president of the Association of Milk Producers of Ukraine, shared the grim reality at the Australian Dairy Conference in Melbourne. He revealed that up to 50% of the dairy industry has been lost, and approximately 200,000 cows have perished, depicting the toll the war has taken on the once-thriving dairy sector.
Images of cows' rotting carcasses, burnt tractors, and bomb-cratered paddocks paint a bleak picture of the challenges faced by Ukrainian dairy farmers. Dykun disclosed that some workers are actively involved in defusing bombs, while others have been drafted into the army to defend their country.
"We have thousands of fields covered in mines, so that's a really big challenge for Ukraine in the future." Farmers have banded together to import a de-mining machine from America in an attempt to clear their paddocks of landmines, - abc.net.au writes.
"As farmers we invested some money into a military roller de-miner … for farmers to use in front of their tractors," Mr Dykun said. Mr Dykun says many men previously working on dairy farms are now in the army, leaving those left behind to try to keep farms operating. "Fifty per cent of employees are mobilised to the army, so if you have 20 men working on your farm, 10 of them are in the army now," he said.
"So you need to think what to do more efficiently on your farm and maybe attract more women to work on your farm." Previously a major exporter of milk products, Ukraine now can't even produce enough milk to meet its own needs. "We were exporting dairy products before the war, but now we are importing," Mr Dykun said.
"But if we stop production, the economy of the country will die." Mr Dykun says like their Australian counterparts, Ukrainian dairy farmers have experienced times of depressed milk prices that created challenges for the industry, but the Russian invasion has put that frustration into perspective.
"Sometimes we were not happy, because the prices were low, but this is not bad, you were lucky," he said.
