Happy Farms

The Sustainabilist interviewed Willem van Walt Meijer, the recently appointed CEO of Al Ain Farms

What is Al Ain Farms doing to ensure customers are supplied with top-quality and safe products and how have operations changed in light of the pandemic?

Al Ain Farms has continued to operate seamlessly during these challenging times, increasing its capacity to produce locally made, fresh products delivered daily across the UAE. The core functions of farming, production and sales remained operational 24 hours throughout the whole year to ensure continuity of supply, and we have tirelessly undertaken all necessary measures to prevent any HSE breaches at our farms.

Willem van Walt Meijer, Al Ain Farms CEO

Our operational readiness and crisis protocol were key in making sure the health of our employees and business continuity were safeguarded. It was a learning experience, but responsive and quick implementations, such as the opening of Al Ain Farms’ Care centre in Sharjah for quarantine and medical security, and the rehousing of 600 employees, meant that we were able to continue business as usual. Rigorous testing and a phased approach to workingfrom-home undoubtedly were key in preserving the welfare of our employees. Safeguarding our partners and suppliers was also a key priority for us and we implemented a protocol with immediate effect, securing minimum impact along the supply chain.

In line with our goal to serve the nation, Al Ain Farms sources most of the ingredients and packaging materials it requires locally. This has helped to ensure that the continuity of supply has not been interrupted. The millions of bottles of milk, laban, yoghurt, juice and camel milk our customers rely on every day, as well as fresh chicken and eggs, have continued to be delivered on a daily basis from our home in Al Ain to all our retail partners all over the UAE.

We pay careful attention to how our cattle are treated and use the latest technology to ensure that they are not overworked and stressed.

There’s no doubt that customer experience has been transformed by this pandemic; what do you think the longterm impact will be?

The short-term crisis has been overcome and we believe that long-term customer demand for healthy, competitively priced products will remain as strong as ever. Increasingly, consumers also want to do more than simply consider concepts such as animal welfare and environmental protection. Happier cattle produce more, higher quality milk, and from the onset, we have a commitment to spearhead initiatives focussed on ensuring animal welfare.

We pay careful attention to how our cattle are treated and use the latest technology to ensure that they are not overworked and stressed. This is achieved by applying cooling systems across the farm to keep the cows stress free so they can continue to maintain high levels of milk production. We shower our cows regularly and teams of dedicated veterinaries are constantly on site to provide 24-hour care for all the animals. All our animals are antibiotic and hormone free.

Dairy farms do place large demands on the environment, particularly in terms of water consumption. That is why we make great efforts to ensure the water we use is recycled within two processing plants. We now recycle around half a billion of litres of water annually and, as we increase production capacity, we aim to increase that figure to one billion litres of water annually.

How has Al Ain Farms helped address the UAE’s food security challenges, and what plans do you have to continue this?

Working closely with regulatory authorities, stakeholders and peers has always been a key priority for Al Ain Farms. Most recently, we have worked on a roadmap launched by HE Mariam Almheiri, Minister of State for Food and Water Security, on a proposal to further the objectives of the UAE’s National Food Security Strategy in achieving food security. A UAE born entity, representing dairy and poultry, we were proud to work together with sectoral leaders on a proposal which catalysed in implementations on a regulatory level.

Going back to Al Ain Farms’ inception in 1981, this company was created so that the people of the UAE could have daily access to fresh milk. So, you could say that we have been helping the UAE work towards self-sufficiency in the vital category of dairy products for nearly 40 years.

When we began in 1981, we had just 200 cows and one milk processing plant. Today, we operate four farms, with nearly 15,000 heads of cattle. In fact, it was during the pandemic that we welcomed 4,000 new cows to our herd, a timely exercise for continued efforts in ensuring food security in the UAE. We are proud of the part we have played in helping the UAE achieve a self-sufficiency rate in dairy products of more than 60%.

For Al Ain Farms, striving to protect the natural resources of the UAE, including soil, water, and air, is an integral part of our operational ethos. The focus is not only on meeting current, but also future needs for food production. Recently, present-day pressures on all of Earth’s resources have generated widespread interest in this important effort; however, for Al Ain Farms, the core aspects of sustainability have always been an integral part of our farmers’ personal values and daily on-farm practices.