Vala Holsteins Take to the Skies

This month marked a milestone as Vala Holsteins successfully delivered 30 pedigree bulls to a customer in Bangladesh.

This transaction was brokered by Australian Livestock Export company ABL Exports in 2022 but has faced many delays due to logistics chains still facing disruptions from the pandemic. However, perseverance paid off and in early May the bulls were finally loaded onto an airplane in Sydney.

From Sydney the bulls travelled to Hong Kong where they transited to another flight to Bangladesh. The bulls were accompanied by a representative of ABL Exports to ensure their welfare on the whole journey to the customer. ABL Exports was pleased to report that the bulls travelled very well and there were no issues at all.

The bulls have settled into their well-equipped new home very quickly. Here they will produce semen to impregnate local dairy cows in Bangladesh, thereby enhancing local milk production through improved genetics.

Alex Arena, owner of Vala Holsteins, was delighted to be able to make this contribution to the advancement of the Holstein breed in Bangladesh. Vala Holsteins has a large genetic pool stretching back into some of the best, proven cow families in the world – particularly from North American genetics. Alex said “our motto at Vala Holsteins is to breed world-class Holsteins in Australia to export to the world. We have had some notable successes e.g. semen from MIRAND-PP sold well across the globe and we have exported livestock to many countries including Japan, China, Indonesia, Pakistan – but it is always a privilege to be able to open a new market and assist in the development of Bangladesh’s dairy sector.”

Furthermore, Alex said “our breeding plan at Vala Holsteins attempts to forecast market needs e.g. polled and A2A2. Now we are also extensively breeding Slick Holsteins because the Slick gene gives another level of improved heat tolerance and for our customers in the tropical and sub-tropical markets in Asia heat tolerance is an extremely important factor.”

We look forward to another load of Vala livestock taking to the skies soon.

Vala Holsteins

May 2023