Defence Ministry to auction cows in military farms

The Defence Ministry has decided to auction nearly 25,000 high-yielding cows as the government is set to close down 39 military farms that supplied milk and other dairy products to lakhs of soldiers in all these years.

The first 12 farms – primarily the smaller ones - would be shut down by August 15, while curtains would be drawn on the remaining 27 in the next three months in accordance with a recent decision taken by the Cabinet Committee on Security.

The defence ministry would offer these cows first to agencies like Indian Council of Agriculture Research and State Agriculture Universities. However, ICAR and state agencies could accommodate only about 1000-1500 cows.

The remaining animals would be auctioned, the defence ministry decided on Tuesday, sources said.

Last week, the defence ministry conveyed its decision on the closure of these farms to the Army in the wake of the green signal from the CCS. The proposal was first mooted during the UPA tenure and was under the government's consideration for the last four years.

With the rise of private dairy industry in India, the government felt there was no need to keep these farms as good quality milk products can be purchased straight from the market.

The first military farm began its operation in Allahabad in 1889 and later spread to 38 other sites.

These firms witnessed one of the most successful cross-breedingprogramme in the history in which high-yielding Frieswal breeds were created by crossing a mix of Holstein-Friesian cows from the Netherlands with India's native Sahiwal ruminants.

“The military dairy farms are the largest source of cross bred animals in India. Not only have they played an important role in providing quality milk for defence forces, but they have also set a standard for dairy animal management. As well, they are a rich source of data for the study of dairy animal improvement through the introduction of superior exotic inheritance,” the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation said in a report.