Netherlands: The Egyptian buffalo, bred for climate resilience

For many generations, agricultural counsellors have been enthusiastic about promoting the export of Friesian genetics for optimal dairy production. As a hybrid Friesian myself, hailing from the province of Friesland, this has always filled me with regional pride. However, given the current global focus on climate change, loss of biodiversity, and other sustainability concerns within the dairy sector, we must ask ourselves: is the black and white Holstein-Friesian truly the most suitable breed for dairy production worldwide? Moreover, what type of dairy or livestock system will be future-proof and support the transition towards sustainable and healthy diets? Sustainable farming systems Modern farming, in general, is not future-proof. In the Netherlands, we have made significant progress in increasing productivity and cost-efficiency in our specialized farming systems. However, we have also exceeded our planetary boundaries, leading to growing social and political opposition to this ...