Revamping standards: First commercial shipment of US cattle arrives

300 Holsteins flown in from Miami to Sialkot

GUJRANWALA: While visiting Cheema Farm in Gujranwala district on Thursday United States (US) Consul General Zachary Harkenrider welcomed the first-ever shipment of US dairy cattle to Pakistan.

The 300 Holsteins were flown in from Miami in Florida to Sialkot and will be housed across several commercial farms in the Punjab.  US and Pakistani officials worked together closely to establish a regulatory framework to address Pakistan’s import requirements and facilitate the safe entry of cattle.

In recent years, a number of Pakistani innovators have invested in the dairy sector.  Consul General Harkenrider commented that “the introduction of large commercial farms over the past decade is adding a new dimension to the dairy sector, introducing new breeds, technology, and methods of production.  These cattle are emblematic of that change and I am hopeful that many of these new practices will be adopted by smaller dairy farmers.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th, 2016.