The recent issues that dairy farms in Israel have experienced, especially those in military no-go zones, have had a considerable effect on routine operations. These farms have suffered significant losses, including the loss of labor and difficulties in livestock management.
In reaction to the issue, attempts are being made to resume normal operations. Trucks delivering fodder are now permitted to enter the military no-go zone under armed military protection, guaranteeing that the cows get crucial nutrition after a 5-day fast.
When Hamas soldiers crossed into Israel last Saturday (October 7), they also attacked dairy farms, murdering everybody in sight. Dozens of dairy farmers and workers in Israel have been killed by Hamas terrorists in kibbutzim near the Gaza border.
There are 16 farms in kibbutzim near the Gaza border, five of which are currently in the army’s no-go zone. A kibbutz is a tiny community in Israel that is usually located in rural regions and revolves around a dairy farm.
Soldiers and farm workers in Israel are now required to wear bulletproof vests while feeding and milking cows on kibbutz farms under Hamas threat.
Normal operations on such farms are slowly returning, although many have sustained significant damage, including the loss of staff and animals.
Cows on farms in the military no-go zone are suddenly getting food after five days of not being milked or fed, as trucks bringing fodder are permitted in under armed military escort.
One farm was forced to let all of its cows to fend for themselves since there was no grain on the property or someone to feed them. Those cows are still roaming the kibbutz.
Israel has around 115,000 cows that produce approximately 1.6 billion liters of milk each year. In Israel, there are two agricultural systems: 164 kibbutz farms established around communities and another 573 bigger private farms known as moshav farms.
The kibbutz fields were targeted within 10 kilometers of the Gaza border, with multiple agricultural workers being shot and murdered.
Many of those slain were Thai laborers, and the Thai government is currently assisting those who fled to return home.
This leaves a significant shortage of agricultural laborers, but efforts are ongoing to train volunteers who have arrived from all around Israel to assist on the fields.
They were able to bring in trucks with feed for the cows after five days without sustenance. This is all being done with military escort since it is still hazardous and Hamas is still firing rockets every day.Volunteers from all around the nation are milking the cows. Some have dairy farming experience, but the majority do not. All of the dairy management and any remaining team members who survived the assaults were relocated to a secure zone.One farm released the cows because it was too risky to keep them, and the animals are now roaming throughout the kibbutz.”
Tnuva, Israel’s biggest food maker, is establishing a NIS 15 million charity fund to assist with the rehabilitation of dairy farms in villages near the Gaza border that have been harmed by the Hamas terror group’s bombardment.
Tnuva said that the investment would be used to rehabilitate farm buildings, milking rooms, and milk cooling tanks, as well as repair electrical networks and cow feeding equipment.
“We work with hundreds of dairy farms and other farmers across Israel who enable us to produce and supply vital products while maintaining Israel’s food security,” says Haim
Gavrieli, head of the Tnuva company. “We will do everything in our power to aid in the recovery of the communities of the region and the dairy farms’ resumption of production.”
The fund is intended for dairy companies in villages such as Nir Oz, Nir Am, Nir Yitzhak, Nahal Oz, Kissufim, Ein Hashlosha, Alumim, Yad Mordechai, Gevim, and Moshav Yachini that have sustained direct harm as a result of the Hamas conflict.
