Camels refuse to yield milk when confronted with bright colours

Dubai: In efforts to provide the most relaxing environment for their camels, Al Ain Dairy is building four new milking parlours to house 48 animals by the end of 2010.

Stoic and drooling, these long-lashed creatures are nevertheless “sensitive” and their feelings must be considered during milking.

“They have character, lots of it. People think it’s a very dumb, stupid animal. But no, absolutely, that’s a misconception,” said Al Ain Chief Operating Officer Shashi Menon.

Just short of providing pedicures, the milking parlour is designed to calm the camels. They are fed during milking, unlike cows, and their calves propelled next to them so the mothers can release milk, said Hamad Zabousi, camel farm manager at Al Ain Dairy.

Far from being a cold clinical process, the mother is encouraged to lick the calf to stimulate the milk hormone oxytocin, he said.

Camels refuse to yield milk when confronted with bright colours, Menon added. Loud noises and unfamiliar faces have to be avoided during milking.

“We just let them deal with people they are comfortable with,” he said.

Camels are tied, milked with vacuum machines, and the milk collected in sterile containers, added Zabousi.

New voluntary testing procedures to uphold company’s quality-standards for manufacturing and processing in light of continued geographic and business growth  

Abu Dhabi, April 13, 2010: Al Ain Dairy—the first established dairy in UAE and a leading producer of dairy products—has expanded its quality control system at local farms and processing plant through the establishment of two new technologies; a Food Lab System and Somatic Cell Counter.  The voluntary testing equipment, which is adopted to ensure that all the company’s dairy products meet international quality standards in accordance with the company’s recent ISO certification.

According to Mr. Abdullah Saif Al Darmaki, CEO of Al Ain Dairy, the continued growth of the UAE dairy industry will depend on the ability of large-scale producers to maintain international health standards as operations become more complex and geographically fragmented.  “We have forecasted considerable business expansion during 2010,” says Al Darmaki, “and we want to do everything we can to ensure that health remains the top priority throughout the production process.” 

The first of the new additions—a Food Lab System—will perform chemical testing of raw and pasteurized milk received from all Al Ain Dairy farms; the first of its kind system to be used by dairy firms in the UAE. Used to detect chemical residues such as Ammonia, Hydrogen Peroxide, Uxea and Chlorides, the system will guarantee that the milk received is of safe quality without any adulteration or chemical contamination.   

The farms’ supplied raw milk must also go through additional screening procedures at the laboratory, using a Swedish-made Somatic Cell Counter.   Somatic cells are white blood cells secreted by the cow and are one of the key indicators of whether raw milk is suitable for refinement.  While this screening is a common test at dairy farms, few companies also implement the practice at their processing facilities.

The establishment of these two health systems follows the award of ISO certification to Al Ain Farms in November 2009 for planning, implementing, and maintaining a Food Safety Management System to work across the company’s operations.  Al Darmaki says that such recognitions are an important means of encouraging local companies to elevate their production standards to worldwide calibres.  

Al Ain, January 27, 2010: Al Ain Farms for Livestock Production—the first established dairy in UAE and a leading producer of dairy products—has been awarded the ISO 22000 Certificate in a ceremony held today at the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development.  In attendance were Mr. Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, Chairman of Al Ain Farms for Livestock Production and Mr. Alex Smith, Director, SGS Gulf Limited along with other key representatives from both organizations.

The ceremony began with a speech from Mr. Al Suwaidi who talked about Al Ain Farms’ continuous efforts to meet international standards and the importance of the award in strengthening the position of Al Ain Farms in UAE and the region.

“Receiving the ISO Certificate is a true testament to the company’s continuous efforts to provide its customers with the best quality products which meet the highest national and international standards,” commented Mr. Al Suwaidi.  “We are confident that with the improvement of our product lines and the introduction of new technologies, we will be able to set the standards for the industry in UAE and the region.”
 
“In the last year, the market has definitely placed a greater emphasis on health and safety”, added Mr. Al Suwaidi. “As customers put more effort into determining the value of their consumer choices, we want them to know that Al Ain Farms will never compromise on the quality of their products.  Throughout all aspects of our operations, we’ve worked to achieve complete quality management by investing in our equipment, our farm herd, and most importantly in our employees. We are and will always be committed to inspiring the highest levels of consumer confidence in our products and services.”

In order to secure the ISO certificate, Al Ain Farms had to pass various tests and examinations.  This included planning, implementing, and maintaining a Food Safety Management System to work across the company’s operations.  Al Ain Farms also had to demonstrate compliance with all applicable statutory and regulatory food-safety requirements in the UAE.  This involved assessing customer requirements and effectively communicating food-safety issues to Al Ain Farms suppliers, customers and relevant interested parties.

In addition to the ISO certification, Al Ain Farms was also recently eligible for the PAS 220 Food Safety Certificate, which endorses the proactive development of pre-requisite programmes on food manufacturing safety.

Record production of over 10,000 Rolling Herd Average litres per cow in 2009

Mr. Abdullah Saif Al Darmaki, CEO of Al Ain Farms for Livestock Production

Al Ain Farms for Livestock Production, the first established dairy farm in the UAE and a leading dairy producer in the region, Read the full story

New flavours guava and pineapple launched in stores throughout the UAE

Al Ain Dairy, the first established dairy farm in the UAE and a leading producer of dairy products, has increased its juices product line by introducing two new juice flavours, guava and pineapple, to complement its existing range of six fruit juice products.  The new flavours are now in stores throughout the UAE and are offered in different packaging sizes.   The juices are made from fresh juice concentrate with no added preservatives or sugars.  The guava flavour is produced from fruits grown in Egypt while the pineapple comes from fruits harvested in Thailand. Read the full story

Two new machines valued at AED 4 million increases Al Ain Dairy’s capacity of yoghurt and fermented products by 40%.

Eng. Abdullah Saif Saeed Al Darmaki CEO, Al Ain Dairy

Al Ain Dairy, the first established dairy farm in the UAE and a leading producer of dairy products, has purchased two new systems; a primodan rot-o min cups filling machine and a filmatic rotary bottle filling machine. Read the full story

Al Ain Dairy increases its workforce by 10% from 685 to 750 employees in 2009

Eng. Abdullah Saif Saeed Al Darmaki CEO, Al Ain Dairy

Al Ain Dairy, the first established dairy farm in the UAE and a leading producer of dairy products, has seen a 10 % increase in its number of employees since January from 685 to 750 employees. Read the full story

Al Ain, May 18, 2009
Al Ain Dairy, the first established dairy farm in the UAE and a leading producer of dairy products, has become the first dairy farm in the GCC to install the BactoScan machine. Officials at Al Ain have revealed that the AED 600,000 machine is aimed at elevating the bacteria testing processes to the highest worldwide standards and will increase the quality control which Al Ain stresses as a key factor in its production phases.
By electronically testing the hygienic quality of milk and bacteria count in less than nine minutes, compared to the 24-48 hours with traditional methods, the machine offers an uncompromising approach to milk testing that is efficient yet accurate. Bactoscan works by separating the bacterial cells in a centrifuge and then staining them and then counting the bacteria in the raw milk electronically.
“In terms of performance and operational efficiency, the Bactoscan machine has already revolutionized how we do business. As the Bactoscan machine works by counting bacteria as single cells, we are now able to obtain results faster as well as being able to guarantee that the milk we produce in the UAE is of the highest quality and meets worldwide health and quality standards,” said Eng. Abdullah Saif Said Al Darmaki, CEO, Al Ain Dairy
Aside from the newly installed Bactoscan machine, Al Ain Dairy uses the Refractometer and Milkoscan to test its dairy products. Whereas the Refractometer can determine the sugar content of milk, Milkoscan can analyze the percentages of fat and lactose in milk.
Most recently, Al Ain Dairy has announced an 18 per cent growth in sales for the first quarter of this year and gross profits of 23 per cent in the same period compared to that of the previous year.
Al Ain Dairy has witnessed steady expansion from its early days. Today, the farm owns three cow farms and one camel farm, in which the animals are raised, treated and milked using the highest techniques and through well trained, highly experienced professionals. The farm is constantly supplying raw milk products to provide the nation with a wide range of locally produced safe, hygienic and high quality dairy products. Furthermore, continual investment in technology and machinery are considered a key factor in ensuring that Al Ain Dairy has the most modern and efficient processing plant with a high volume capacity for production.

Al Ain, April 28^th 2009

The first established UAE dairy achieves 23% growth in its gross operating profits. Al Ain Dairy, the first established dairy in UAE and a leading producer of dairy products, has announced that it has achieved an impressive 18% growth in sales for the first quarter of 2009 compared to the same period last year. Read the full story