In Florina, on Tuesday 23 April, at the building of the Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, of the University of Western Macedonia, an online workshop was held on “Animal husbandry consultancy for the establishment, operation and development of an artisanal dairy in sheep farms”, in the framework of the project “Terra Graeca: Small Farm to Market”.
The presentation of the topic was curated and conducted by Mr. Dimitris Roukas, MSc. Agronomist, PhD candidate in the science of “Animal Husbandry” at the Department of Agronomy of the University of Western Macedonia and scientific collaborator of the Regional Unit of Pieria. A welcome note and introduction were given by Dr. Konstantinos Zaralis, Assistant Professor of the Department of Agronomy. From MedINA, welcome speeches were given by Rigas Zafeiriou, coordinator of the Sustainable Food Systems programme, and Danae Sfakianou, agronomist of the programme and responsible for the Terra Vita certification.
The students of the Department of Agronomy had the opportunity to watch the lecture live via the internet and to participate interactively. The workshop was also attended by sheep breeders of Lemnos, animal breeders, veterinarians and consultants of agricultural enterprises, who have expressed interest to develop artisanal dairies on the island.
The workshop aimed to inform those interested or associated with the animal husbandry sector (sheep breeders, consultants, scientists, veterinarians, etc.) about the potential benefits of artisanal cheese making to the professional farmer, by establishing an artisanal dairy. The dairy can be set up in a very small site on the farm, turning it into a small processing unit for dairy production. The ‘transformation of the farmer into a cheesemaker’ adds value to his/her livestock production, while reducing the entrepreneurial risk.
The presentation referred to the steps that a professional farmer should follow to establish and develop a small-scale traditional cheese dairy on his/her livestock farm, in accordance with the current legal framework and modern sanitary requirements. As the artisanal dairy is an integral part of the livestock farm and its operation depends directly on its productivity, the zootechnical variables and parameters affecting the productivity of the artisanal dairy were analysed. Detailed reference was also made to the structural characteristics of animal husbandry, since this is reflected in the products of the artisanal dairy. Furthermore, factors that affect the operation of the artisanal dairy and influence the production and marketing of its products were presented. The parameters that farmers should pay attention to create a sustainable artisanal farm by moving from livestock production to a business model reflecting their lifestyle were also analysed.
Open dialogue followed at the end of the lecture, with the participants raising several questions; through the answers provided and the well-prepared presentation, many concerns regarding the endeavour to develop an artisanal dairy were resolved.
The workshop was held in the context of promoting artisanal dairies in Lemnos and providing consultancy to the livestock farmers of the island. The workshop is part of the activity to enable the establishment, operation and development of artisanal processing units of the “Terra Graeca: Small Farm to Market” project, which aims to empower producers and create opportunities for young farmers. The project is implemented by the Mediterranean Institute for Nature and Anthropos (MedINA) with the support of the John S. Latsis Public Benefit Foundation.