Al Ain Farms, First UAE Farm to Pledge Commitment to Animal Welfare

Agriculture

October 12, 2020, 8:29 am

Al Ain Farms, UAE’s first and largest locally integrated dairy brand, announces its Animal Welfare Pledge, making a clear commitment to protect and ensure the wellbeing of each of its 15,000 cows. The promise is part of Al Ain Farms’ dedication to continue to provide the best environment and living standards for their cows through constantly improving policies and processes across their spacious farms built in Al Ain desert, in the heart of the UAE.

As part of its ongoing strategy to support UAE’s National Food Security Programme and National Food Security Strategy 2051, Al Ain Farms brings the highest standards of dairy farming to the local market. With this in mind, the brand has introduced the five pillars under the #AlAinFarmsWelfarePledge:

• Cows will be provided a living environment of the highest standards and companionship
• Every cow is ensured a diet of premium quality feed meeting its individual specific requirements
• Al Ain Farms commits to protecting each cow from pain, suffering, injury and disease
• Every day access to outdoor fields and spaces is every animal’s right
• Each cow will be treated with care and compassion by Al Ain staff & employees

To meet rigorous welfare standards, Al Ain Farms is equipped with specialized houses, milking parlors, young stock sheds, open-air hay stores and commodity barns which are spread over an open-air farm in the middle of the Al Ain desert. These state-of-the-art facilities and focus on harnessing technological innovation are key in navigating challenging local climate while providing the best living conditions for the cows.

Keeping the cows stress-free is one of the main goals of Al Ain Farms. One of the most effective ways this is achieved in challenging climates is with the use of specialized cooling systems installed across the farms to keep the cows free from heat exposure while they enjoy the outdoors at the temperatures that are optimal for them. These include cooling and air fans with high pressure injected into the airflow. The Al Ain Farms cows also receive regular showers and pedicures to maintain their health and comfort. These standards are further ensured by the presence of dedicated veterinary teams on-site to provide the 24 hours care for all the animals at the farms.

Daily specialized nutrition is critical element to Al Ain Farms cows’ wellbeing. Ensuring best in class feed, Al Ain Farms uses EZfeed, a highly sophisticated system for feeding. EZfeed monitors all 15,000 cows under uniquely assigned codes, calculating the best nutritional system for feeding cows and adjusting the nutritional ratio per the cow’s requirement of age, height and weight.

Announcing the Al Ain Farms Welfare Pledge, CEO of Al Ain Farms Willem van Walt Meijer said, “Creating and sustaining growth in the dairy industry goes hand in hand with the constant elevation of high-quality standards. Our livestock is at the heart of our business, therefore, by announcing the Al Ain Farms Welfare Pledge we aim to ensure our healthy and happy cows produce the healthiest and tastiest milk for our customers. ‘Made with love locally’ is not only our brand motto but more importantly, it a commitment we enforce in our corporate strategy.”
Serving over 11,000 customers daily, Al Ain Farms aims to continue to be a key driving force for food security in the UAE. Beginning in 1981 with 300 cows and one milk processing plant and close to 40 years later, Al Ain Farms today has grown to 15, 000 cows with 21 new calves born daily. A trusted local brand, Al Ain Farms is proud of the sustainable growth it continues to achieve while providing the nation with the best products and most importantly bringing food security to UAE customers.