Bt5.8 bn earmarked to protect buffaloes
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- CABINET MINISTERS in charge of economic affairs yesterday set aside a budget of Bt5.8 billion to protect and increase the number of water buffaloes after recent reports indicated the species would become extinct in five years.

They also earmarked Bt1.05 billion to boost the production and enhance the quality of buffalo milk.

The proposal for the funding came from the Agriculture Ministry, which reasoned that the number of buffaloes and cows in the country had dropped rapidly and that the industry was in dire need of support.

The ministry pointed out that buffalo farms were run by small-time farmers, who often suffer a shortage of workers and a lack of land available for farming.

The Agriculture Ministry also cited reports from the Livestock Department, which revealed that the number of buffaloes in the country had dropped by 29.46 per cent from 1.19 million in 2010 to 840,064 in 2014.

As a short-term measure the Cabinet issued regulations prohibiting the slaughter and export of female buffaloes, and will later fund the development of buffalo-breeding farmers as part of a move to protect and conserve local culture. The Cabinet also allocated Bt16.27 million for the protection and breeding of local chicken species for domestic consumption.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Bt5-8-bn-earmarked-to-protect-buffaloes-30254874.html


-- The Nation 2015-02-26

My mother in law frantically called my wife asking if this is now true!

I am sorry, but as wasted cash goes this is the winner.

At least the rice scheme bought rice. But5 billion to save buffaloes.

Every lost Scandinavian just got out of one payment free.

Edited February 25, 201511 yr by Thai at Heart

Buffalo milk ...oh please . I half expect to see them being led around Silom being fed straw for 50 bht a handful next or some traditional farming tourist attraction

Let the buffaloes retire in peace, theyve earned it over the past few thousand years.

Who gets this money?

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Who gets this money?

Thai village big men and local Thai police.

Got tricked by tthe headline.. For a moment I thought the government started throwing cash around again

"the number of buffaloes in the country had dropped by 29.46 per cent from 1.19 million in 2010 to 840,064 in 2014." I think you will find your average Thai farmer is now using another type of buffalo, called a Kubota!

Maybe they should petition the WWC to have the water buffalo put on the endangered species list!

Wow they are finally going to start looking after us farangs

Who gets this money?

C'mon now you know the answer to that as we all do,

Saving the buffaloes huh? try putting a stop the buffalo fights, and money for the local chickens, hmmm answer to that, same, but hey TIT.

The sexpats are getting wiser, they don't fall for the old "Buffalo sick" trick any longer.

Edited February 26, 201511 yr by HiSoLowSoNoSo

They just need to keep them out of office and things will get better all over.

Make water buffaloes illegal and they will proliferate.

they are going extinct because they are red...

This smells of politics over real concern.

funds are needed to protect many species in Thailand which is currently presiding over the extinction of the Tiger apart from many other examples of wildlife and habitat.

The domestic and wild buffalo are very similar creatures (unusual for domesticated animals) and if Thailand spends money on preserving wildlife habitat (especially Western Forest complex) I'm sure the original wild buffalo will be helped to survive and a real benefit will result.

Would be nice if Thailand could start producing real mozarella cheese.

one bodyguard for each buffalo and his family ?

Bt5.8 bn is a substantial figure. It must be at least half the annual sum spent on their upkeep by farang teeraks.

The ears of the buffaloes are now marked with 5.800.000.000 Baht.
It is right a whopping sum for buffaloes ears.
Hope they don't mean bargirl slang like buffaloes as foreigners.
To pay now for a sick buffalo is then given a new dimension.

Edited February 26, 201511 yr by tomacht8

The Junta has an interesting set of priorities.

The buffalo and chickens will have greater civil rights than Thais. But then the former can be guaranteed not to be political.

A few isaan girls could do a much cheaper and better job..

Would be nice if Thailand could start producing real mozarella cheese.

I have read that it takes many generations of selective breeding to get buffalo that produce enough milk and will permit themselves to be milked in order to produce good mozzarella cheese.

Italy has been doing this for centuries.

In recent years attempts are being made in California to produce herds of milk producing buffalo by using bull seaman imported from Italian bulls.

They claim is is successful, but progress is very slow.

In my area of Isaan, there are still many herds of buffalo, mostly tended by women.

I can not imagine why they have so many Buffalo in Thailand.

It is very rare to see one working on a farm or pull carts, as they use to do here.

There is little, if any, dairy production from buffalo here.

Some tell me that some of the "beef" sold in small markets is actually buffalo meat,

but that can not account for many buffalo used annually.

The only current use I know of is the old " Please send more money...Kwai mai sabi! " scam used by the Thai girls.

Maybe it is not a scam?

Buffalo populations are dropping.

Maybe Kwai is really mai sabi!

Milk production from wiki....

op ten buffalo milk producers — 11 June 2008^[41] Country Production (tonnes) Footnote India 56,960,000 Unofficial, Semi-official, mirror data Pakistan 21,500,000 official figure People's Republic of China 2,900,000 FAO estimate Egypt 2,300,000 FAO estimate Nepal 930,000 FAO estimate Iran 241,500 FAO estimate Burma 205,000 FAO estimate Italy 200,000 FAO estimate Turkey 35,100 FAO estimate Vietnam 31,000 FAO estimate World 85 396 902

Looks like Thailand would have a long way to go to enter milk production in any serious way.

Would be nice if Thailand could start producing real mozarella cheese.

I have read that it takes many generations of selective breeding to get buffalo that produce enough milk and will permit themselves to be milked in order to produce good mozzarella cheese.

Italy has been doing this for centuries.

In recent years attempts are being made in California to produce herds of milk producing buffalo by using bull seaman imported from Italian bulls.

They claim is is successful, but progress is very slow.

In my area of Isaan, there are still many herds of buffalo, mostly tended by women.

I can not imagine why they have so many Buffalo in Thailand.

It is very rare to see one working on a farm or pull carts, as they use to do here.

There is little, if any, dairy production from buffalo here.

Some tell me that some of the "beef" sold in small markets is actually buffalo meat,

but that can not account for many buffalo used annually.

The only current use I know of is the old " Please send more money...Kwai mai sabi! " scam used by the Thai girls.

Maybe it is not a scam?

Buffalo populations are dropping.

Maybe Kwai is really mai sabi!

"to produce herds of milk producing buffalo by using bull seaman" - that's something I'd like to see!

they are going extinct because they are red...

Note to fellow posters:

Although some may be confused, the topic is not about Isaan people or red-shirts. The topic is about the Thai domestic water buffaloe aka Bubalus bubalis of the genus bovines

they are going extinct because they are red...

Note to fellow posters:

Although some may be confused, the topic is not about Isaan people or red-shirts. The topic is about the Thai domestic water buffaloe aka Bubalus bubalis of the genus bovines

I would suggest it is highly naive to think that the buffalo isn't intrinsically interwoven with the culture and people of Issan and thus the Red Shirts and therefore one would have to conclude that this "gift" is aimed primarily at enhancing the current administration's image in that region.

Edited February 27, 201511 yr by cumgranosalum

Don't you just love the exact figures. There are exactly 840,064 buffaloes in Thailand. Is there a buffalo census?

Hardly endangered is it?

How can they just waste so much money?

they are going extinct because they are red...

-- nice, big picture removed --

Note to fellow posters:

Although some may be confused, the topic is not about Isaan people or red-shirts. The topic is about the Thai domestic water buffaloe aka Bubalus bubalis of the genus bovines

I would suggest it is highly naive to think that the buffalo isn't intrinsically interwoven with the culture and people of Issan and thus the Red Shirts and therefore one would have to conclude that this "gift" is aimed primarily at enhancing the current administration's image in that region.

Do you have figures showing how those 840,064 buffaloes are spread over Thailand?

they are going extinct because they are red...

-- nice, big picture removed --

Note to fellow posters:

Although some may be confused, the topic is not about Isaan people or red-shirts. The topic is about the Thai domestic water buffaloe aka Bubalus bubalis of the genus bovines

I would suggest it is highly naive to think that the buffalo isn't intrinsically interwoven with the culture and people of Issan and thus the Red Shirts and therefore one would have to conclude that this "gift" is aimed primarily at enhancing the current administration's image in that region.

Do you have figures showing how those 840,064 buffaloes are spread over Thailand?

A sign of someone without an argument is to ask for stats.

Don't you just love the exact figures. There are exactly 840,064 buffaloes in Thailand. Is there a buffalo census?

Hardly endangered is it?

How can they just waste so much money?

Is there a buffalo census? Yes there is (sort of). If you own cattle (including buffalo) then you must have them vaccinated from time to time. The local pooyai ban has a list of the owners of cattle and their numbers. These lists are submitted to the local veterinary department who no doubt collate them to get an overall figure.