Cows with non GMO A2A2 genes at Sharjah Dairy farm
H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated the first phase of Mleiha Dairy Farm and launched its visual identity.
The event took place in the presence of H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Salem bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah.
Upon his arrival, His Highness witnessed the ringing of the farm's bell by a group of children, signaling the official opening of the farm.
In his speech on this occasion, the Ruler of Sharjah emphasised the integration of productive projects in the emirate to provide healthy food for all family members. These projects include vegetable production, wheat farming, dairy farming, and poultry farming, which is set to open soon. In addition, specialised education is being provided to support these projects with qualified scientific personnel through the establishment of the University of Al Dhaid. This aims to ensure a dignified life for citizens, thereby achieving social stability and fulfilling the objectives of raising healthy children.
His Highness expressed his happiness with the success of the two projects: The vegetable production project and the wheat project in Mleiha. The wheat project started with approximately 450 hectares, and for the first time, it achieved the highest and finest protein percentage of 18 percent in the first year. In the second year, with an increase in the cultivated area to 1400 hectares, the protein percentage further rose to 19.1 percent.
The Ruler of Sharjah stated, “Today, we inaugurate the third project, for which a budget of approximately AED 600 million has been allocated, as this is a substantial budget, and what we are witnessing today is just the beginning and work is underway to complete the entire project plan.”
He added, “The cows we have are purebred cattle that have not undergone any breed improvements. We have been working for two years to acquire and assemble them in a facility owned by the Government of Sharjah. These cows come from northern Germany and southern Denmark, and they are pregnant, with each cow carrying a female fetus. This is a medical and scientific process carried out under medical supervision, where the female cows are inseminated to carry each one of them with a female fetus. Currently, we have 1,200 cows, and each of them will give birth to a calf, resulting in 1,200 new cows. In the upcoming season, we will have additional numbers of cows, and so on.”
His Highness emphasised that the cattle project receives complete care in all aspects, including health, environment, nutrition, and natural growth, to ensure that the milk is a complete and healthy food. Within the next three years, it will become the largest production project for clean, natural, organic milk.
Sheikh Sultan discussed the journey of fresh organic milk from the moment it is milked from the cows, where it is packaged in specialised containers that prevent light and oxygen from entering, as these factors can affect the milk. Furthermore, these containers will be recycled.
The Ruler of Sharjah discussed the fourth project, which is the poultry project by saying: “ The poultry project complements the other three projects." His Highness clarified that the poultry will be from a slow-growing breed, raised through free-range farming and organic agriculture. The poultry meat and eggs produced will be natural products because they will be fed with natural food. Additionally, traditional natural remedies will be used to treat poultry in case of illness, making them beneficial and harmless to human health. This poultry will not be given any growth accelerators, hormones, or artificial substances. Furthermore, they will be raised in spacious open areas, allowing them to grow comfortably over a period of 70 day.
His Highness highlighted the harmful effects of using unhealthy substances and growth accelerators in poultry and cattle, which can disrupt human hormones, contribute to tumor growth, and increase the risk of cancer. Additionally, it can have unnatural effects on the growth of children and young individuals.
His Highness explained that these production projects are interconnected, where the by-products of each product are utilised to feed the other or enrich the soil with natural fertilisers derived from animal waste. This makes them environmentally friendly projects that preserve the environment.
In conclusion, the Ruler of Sharjah addressed parents, emphasising the importance of caring for children from an early age.
He mentioned the availability of nurseries for children from their first year, highlighting the significance of proper social upbringing for children, as well as the preservation of language, culture, heritage, and faith as these elements contribute to the well-being and future of society and the nation.
H.H. the Ruler of Sharjah toured the farm facilities, built on an area of three million and seventy-seven thousand square metres, and include purebred Holstein cows, the first of their kind in the Middle East, which produce A2A2 protein organic milk.
During the tour, His Highness viewed the farm’s barns, designed with a metal structure to suit climate change. The barns, in the first phase, contain 1,200 cows carrying females. The farm is working to establish a nucleus herd consisting of 5,000 cows carrying natural, non-genetically modified A2A2 genes, over the next five years, with the completion of 63 barns.
His Highness was also briefed on the latest technologies used in monitoring cows through necklaces installed on the neck of each cow. Necklaces aim to detect cows’ movement and health, and to determine when they are vaccinated, in addition to using the automatic feeding system and rubber flooring to maintain the safety of cows during the feeding period. Locking system contributes to facilitating the consumption and stabilisation of feeding during periodic checks. Automatic cleaning methods are applied through the flow of water treated in safe ways within the water treatment purification unit on the farm, in addition to the cooling system and dry fans to repel insects.