The Dairy Sector’s Struggles Amid COVID-19 Restrictions
All this week we’ve been reporting on the economic impact of COVID-19 on the agro-productive sector. As you’ve heard earlier this week, the Spanish Lookout Community is facing a number of challenges. One sector is the dairy production. The state of emergency has placed restrictions on movements of people but the milking of cows is a daily matter. We tell you more through this story with Belize’s largest dairy producer Western Dairies.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
Western Dairies is the leading dairy producer in Belize. They make a number of dairy products from milk and butter, cheese and yogurts. But this dairy producer is facing a tough time when it comes to distribution. Sales are down significantly during what should have been the peak season.
Roy Friesen, Production Manager, Western Dairies
“The dairy side of it, our sales obviously has dropped a lot since a lot of stores are closed; restaurants are closed; resorts are closed. So, that affects the amount of dairy products that we are able to sell. This is like our peak time of the year as far as for sales; so like ice creams, ideals, all that stuff really sells a lot; including a lot of tourists who would normally be here at the resorts which helps us with our sour creams and cheeses and stuff. Right now, our biggest thing is to be able to get it out there to the people who need it. With the limited hours of operation and things like that, it is not that we don’t have. We have a surplus right now and the problem that it comes down it is if stores are not open enough where people can get it and then the distribution part is what’s hard right now.”
And because those products are not selling like before – the Western Dairies has a surplus of food items. Some of those products have short shelf life – and this affects production for a product like fresh cow’s milk.
Roy Friesen
“We had to reduce the amount of fresh milk we pack and stuff like that. Cheese is a little bit different. We can pack more and store for a little while. If we have cooler space then that is fine. Cheese doesn’t have such a short shelf life.”
And when a large producer like Western Dairies isn’t selling off all its products – the impact trickles down to the dairy farmers.
Roy Friesen
“From the farmers side of it, it is very tough because we have already reduced the price that we pay for the milk to them and the feed prices for the cattle haven’t gotten down and so that is a huge concern on their side.”
Andrea Polanco
“Now, as Western Dairies, are you taking less milk than you normally would from them?”
Roy Friesen
“Yes. We normally would take more milk. We are limiting some of the milk or if they bring above a certain amount then they don’t get paid for the milk.”
Andrea Polanco
“What would they do in this case where they have all this surplus milk that Western Dairies isn’t able to purchase?”
Roy Friesen
“There are farmers who do it different. Some get some neighbours to come and get it for a cheaper price and help them out that way. Some do make their own cheese at home to try and use up the milk in that way. So different farmers are trying to do different things to try to use it up to limit the amount that have to be dumped.”
And while sales is one issue they have to contend with – Roy Friesen says that dairy farmers are faced with another hurdle when it comes to the restrictions on movement on Sundays.
Roy Friesen
“With dairy farmers, they have to milk their cows seven days a week, twice a day.”
Andrea Polanco
“If cows are not milked on time and these things are not done within its proper cycles, how does that affect the whole process?”
Roy Friesen
“Yeah, that doesn’t work. With milking cows, if you would milk them one day and then skip one day the cows get sick and it hurts their productive life. It is definitely not a thing that is even a question to be able to be done like that. You cannot skip milking a day and then try to milk them again, that is not practical at all. Of course the agriculture ministry would say yes of course you guys to have to milk your cows and they understand it but obviously from what I get from the public there are police officers who do not know that cows have to be milked twice a day and on a Sunday as well. So it creates an issue that way.”
Friesen says that they have been trying to lobby for some arrangements for dairy farmers but they are yet to get a response about how they can address the Sunday restrictions. Reporting for News Five, I’m Andrea Polanco.
