Spring 2005: HOW TO FLY COWS
From time to time the office gets enquiries about the practical steps involved in getting cows as far as an aircraft, getting them onboard and flying them out to the developing world. As with all matters related to livestock management, the process involved is extremely complicated, requires enormous attention to detail and a good band of experienced stock men.
 Most of the heifers that we send out to our project countries are given to us as gifts by farming families. We have received heifers from farming families in every county in Ireland. A small but growing number of heifers are donated by the non farming community. This is done simply by an individual, family or group deciding to fund the acquisition of a heifer, her transport and placement with its new family. In such cases, we buy the heifer on behalf of the donor.
In the weeks leading up to an airlift the person in charge of the airlift logistics, Brid Walsh, maintains constant contact with the donor farmer. The farmer is asked to arrange whatever tests that are required by the Department of Agriculture in the recipient country. The farmer is also asked to give the donated animal a small amount of handling so that she will become accustomed to people and will not get stressed when she is being put on the aircraft.
When the big day arrives all donors are asked to bring their heifer to our collection centre which is in Bulgaden, Kilmallock, Co. Limerick. This is a great day out and we always like to invite any interested person to come and attend. Cars with cow boxes, tractors with trailers, trucks, large and small come from all corners of Ireland with their heifers. Representatives from schools, community groups, companies and clubs of all types come to meet their heifer or the heifer for which they are funding transport and training costs.
As the cargo aircraft we normally use is a DC8, the ideal number of heifers to fit on board is 70 head. As each one of the 70 head come to our centre in Bulgaden a Department of Agriculture official checks them and their documentation to see that the animal is healthy and that everything is in order. When all the animals have arrived the visitors go a short distance up the road to a local pub where tea, sandwiches and snacks are served. There is always a small bit of formality where the chairman of Bothar explains what will happen to the heifers from here on out. The collection day in Bulgaden is a wonderful occasion to attend and over the years many donors, individuals and groups have become close friends, meeting in Bulgaden from time to time.
The animals remain in the lairage in Bulgaden for
approximately 2 days.
When the aircraft arrives in Shannon airport it is time for all hands on deck. The inside of the cargo aircraft has to be configured with a livestock penning system which will keep the animals safe and secure throughout their journey. Special trucks have to be engaged to take all the animals from the lairage to the airport. The entire procedure from start to finish takes about 6 hours.
Once the animals have arrived in Shannon airport there is one final check to ensure that everything is in order with regard to the loading ramp and the inside penning system on the aircraft.
When this has been done the animals are walked in groups of 6 from the trucks, up the special ramp and into the aircraft. 6x6 they are put into pens onboard the aircraft until they are all onboard and are ready to go. After refuelling and final checks by the flight crew the aircraft is ready to go to its destination and the new homes for 70 lifesaving heifers.
Arrival at the other end:
One would be forgiven for thinking that sending a heifer to a poverty stricken family is the first step in their recovery. In fact, it is one of the final steps from our livestock programme. For many months before the arrival of the animals, the selection of the individual families and the training process has been going on. Families have to prepare specific housing units for each animal. These are prepared from local materials so they do not cost anything. The family has to grow suitable fodder for our animals and the family has to undergo training on how to look after a cow. Having completed all of these, the family undergoes a test to see whether they are ready to receive an animal from Ireland. The family is also required to do one more thing and that is to pass on the first female calf born to their cow to another poor family who have under gone the same preparation process.
While all the final steps are being made back in Ireland to prepare for the airlift, equally intensive preparations are going on in the recipient country to receive them. Stock men, trucks and holding facilities all have to be ready and waiting when the aircraft lands. Animals are unloaded and whisked away to a government quarantine station where they must remain for a short period of time to ensure their health status.
Finally the great day comes when the heifers are distributed to their individual families. It is impossible to explain the disbelief, the excitement and the joy that is evident throughout the communities into which our heifers go. The heifers go into new loving homes where they will start a new life and become beacons of hope and food and income providers for families who are in genuine need.
It is our hope that the people of Ireland will continue to support this work as its simplicity and practicality makes it possible for the poorest and least educated people to get a real chance to lift themselves out of their poverty.
The Bó Vine Spring 2005
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