Updated from Milk Market Moos, by Sherry Bunting, Farmshine, Oct. 20, 2023

On the day after the global dairy industry had just gathered at World Dairy Expo — a place where people come from all over the world of different backgrounds and cultures to see great cows, learn about new technologies, meet up with old friends and make new ones, we learned of the orchestrated terrorist attack in southern Israel.

Listening to the news of the atrocities committed Oct. 7 in communities along the Gaza border, the farthest thing from my mind was dairy.

But over the following days, we’ve learned that dairies were hit hard in these attacks. Dozens of dairy farmers, managers, workers, and interns were murdered and taken hostage, including those who came from other countries to work and to learn. One college student from Cambodia had just arrived two weeks earlier to begin his internship, gone now at the hands of unspeakable evil, his family talking of his love of animals and how he had looked forward to what he would learn there.

Cows were killed, equipment and barns have been burned. Reports indicate that 16 dairy farms have been impacted representing more than 5% of Israel’s milk production. Five of these farms were completely closed off to access in a “no-go” zone for at least a week, with soldiers reportedly putting hay out for the now isolated cows.

The terrorist attacks have impacted Israeli agriculture as each kibbutz that came under attack is a community centered around a farm, including a dairy, in the rural areas. According to the Israeli Institute for Dairy Farming, the 537 farms operate under two systems: 167 are kibbutz farms, the balance are private “moshav” farms.

International journalist Chris McCullough of Belfast, Ireland writes in Agri-view, a Madison, Wisconsin-based newspaper about the tragedy that unfolded as farms were finishing up the milking that morning.

In the aftermath, he interviewed Ofier Langer, who has run the Israeli Dairy School for the past 13 years. The school attracts people from 30 countries to these farms each year, educating them on the practicalities of dairy farming, Israeli style. He personally knows many of his colleagues that were murdered.

McCullough writes: “Holding back the tears, Ofier said: ‘It’s hard to take this all in. Hamas entered a number of farms and shot people indiscriminately. The area that came under attack is not just any area as it’s home to 16 dairy farms… home to anything from 350 to 700 cows per farm with average milk yields of 12,500 litres per cow per year. A few of them are even among the top 10 in the country for production per cow. All of these farms were attacked. The loss we have suffered is immense. We’ve lost friends and colleagues. Two dairy farm managers and dozens of workers were murdered. This is a heartbreaking moment for our tight-knit community. We share the pain deeply.’“

He tells of a glimmer of hope, that the Israeli Institute for Dairy Farming is collecting volunteers to help on the farms that can be reached to take care of the cows.

In a later report from McCullough for The Fence Post (see photos and report here), we are learning that efforts are underway by volunteers in bullet-proof vests trying to prevent more cows dying from starvation.

“Normal operations on those farms are slowly recovering but many have suffered serious damage as well as a loss of workers and cattle,” writes McCullough. “Following a period of five days of not being milked or fed, the cows on the farms in the military no go zone are now receiving food as trucks carrying forage are allowed in under armed military guard.”

One thing we are learning is that the attacks in kibbutzim of southern Israel targeted civilians — men, women and children, people of service, doctors, nurses, teachers, and farmers — people going about their day in their communities taking care of each other, and their animals.

Prayers for Israel. Prayers for peace.