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Updated: 29/06/2008
While milk production per cow in Israel is among the highest in the world, dairy farms are major polluters of the environment. Potential environmental problems include soil and water source contamination by nutrients, nitrates, brines, organic matter and pathogens as well as stench, flies and aesthetic degradation. There are about 120,000 milk cows in Israel, producing about 1.124 billion liters of milk per year. It is estimated that one cow equals about 20 people in terms of potential water pollution by organic material (BOD) generated per day. The pollution generated by some 398,000 heads of cattle in Israel, including both milk and beef cows, therefore exceeds the pollution generated by the entire human population of the country. Aims of the Dairy Farm Reform
In 1999, a reform package was initiated in the dairy sector, which continued until 2007. The main aims of the reform are as follows: - Encouraging dairy producers to become larger, more competitive and more efficient;
- Preventing pollution from dairy farms and protecting the country's water sources by upgrading cowsheds and establishing environmental infrastructure.
In the first five years of the reform (until the end of 2004), dairy farm owners could present engineering plans for approval to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection. The years 2004 - 2006 were devoted to the implementation of the plans and receipt of the grants. Due to the security situation in the northern region of the country and the vicinity of the Gaza region, an extension was granted to dairy farms in this area to complete implementation until 2007. Components of the Reform Project
The reform project resulted from an agreement between the Ministry of Finance, the Dairy Board and the Ministry of Agriculture, with the Ministry of Environmental Protection providing the professional requirements for investments in the cowsheds. The project included financial grants of 50% for investments in infrastructure and systems for environmental protection and 30% for greater efficiency.
Within the framework of the reform, strict criteria were formulated for the environment-friendly operation of dairy farms, largely based on guidelines developed by the Ministry of Environmental Protection. Among others, guidelines relate to the establishment of proper treatment and disposal facilities including requirements for roofing, cement flooring, drainage systems to prevent release of manure and leachate into the environment, manure collection and containment facilities, separation of solids from the waste stream, and sewage treatment at different levels.
The reform presented a golden opportunity to upgrade environmental infrastructures in dairy farms and to stop environmental pollution from this source. Efforts were crowned with success as evidenced by the following statistic: By the end of 2007, 98% of Israel's dairy farms had presented their improvement plans and 89% completed the requisite environmental improvements.
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