The Vietnam Dairy Products Joint Stock Company (Vinamilk) on Monday began operating the country’s first organic dairy farm that meets European standards. The Da Lat-based farm with a herd of 500 cows in the first stage is the company’s second in the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) province of Lam Dong.
The 70ha farm, which cost VND200 billion (US$8.8 million), has received certification from the Control Union, a Dutch-based global quality certifier, for meeting European standards.
The entire cow population has been carefully selected and given organic feed.
The farm follows three strict rules: no stimulants, no pesticides in feed and no residues in milk.
Mai Kieu Lien, Vinamilk’s CEO, told the media that the organic farm would not only meet local demand for milk but also increase foreign markets’ confidence in Vietnamese dairy products.
The giant milk producer has 10 dairy farms around the country and plans to increase the number of farms that follow Global GAP standards.