An animal that once grazed and traveled great distances is increasingly enclosed in vast dairy farms in the Middle East, where thousands of camels are milked by machines.

This is the model of sedentary agriculture that produced modern cows, sheep and pigs. So far, camels have resisted it, but in certain respects, they are the ideal livestock for the next climate reality.

Camels have evolved to cope with very hot days and freezing nights in the desert. They can spend days with little water or vegetation and produce less methane than cows, sheep and other ruminants.

These characteristics make them exceptionally resistant to climate change and mean that they can play a key role in adapting food production as the climate changes - especially in deserts and other drylands. However, the same characteristics that make camels well adapted to climate change also make them increasingly attractive targets for intensive agriculture.

With big business interests eager for ways to combine climate correction with capitalist growth opportunities, an industrial camel industry is growing.

It is now feared that a switch to industrial camel breeding will not only be detrimental to the environment, but will also mean the loss of crucial traditional knowledge and intangible cultural heritage. It would be a shame if these creatures ended up like cattle, trapped in a small enclosed space.

Growing demand

This trend is driven by the growing demand for camel's milk as an alternative to cow's, sheep's and goat's milk. Camel milk is rich in vitamin C when fresh and is also low in fat.

In the Gobi desert in Mongolia and the deserts of Oman, camel milk is consumed fresh and in tea with milk. It is also produced as a fermented drink, or made into a dry, hardened curd for durability.


The fresh milk produced by camel herders has a mild flavor, often slightly sweeter in certain seasons, depending on the vegetation on which the camels graze. Although shepherds in arid regions have always consumed camel milk, its new marketability is based on its mild taste, low lactose levels and nutritional profile.

The growing demand for camel milk, both fresh and powdered, is mirrored in the rise of small dairies in the least expected places, such as an Amish-Saudi collaboration in the USA.

All this is leading some capitalist entrepreneurs to develop camel breeds that produce more milk - just as domesticated dairy cows can now produce much more milk than their wild ancestors.

Huge dairy farms

In the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia, camel dairy farms have been set up with thousands of camels. The largest, in the UAE, has more than 10,000. More farms are being built and, at the beginning of 2024, the Saudi sovereign wealth fund announced new investments.

But there are still some challenges in raising camels on an industrial scale. Males tend to become very aggressive and even dangerous to humans during the rutting season, while females have a longer gestation period than cows.

However, the industry is expected to grow rapidly, with estimates for the future value of the global camel milk market ranging from 2 billion to 13 billion dollars by the end of the decade.

In Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, camels have become symbols of cultural heritage. Races and "beauty contests" can yield astronomical prizes of up to 2 million euros. With such extraordinary prizes, it's not surprising that cloning and other advanced reproductive techniques have become more common in an attempt to create a winning camel.

Traditional herders are worried

Camel herders are worried about the move to mega-dairy industries, where milk is produced on an industrial scale.

International camel herding participants who met at a recent workshop in Rajasthan, India, have released a statement rejecting the "extractive model of animal production that was first superimposed on many camelid countries in colonial times".
The participants fear adopting an industrialized camel breeding model that is "dependent on fossil fuels, chemicals and imported food".

Humans have worked with camels throughout history. Camels have enabled long-distance trade, served in armies, transported military equipment, sustained family livelihoods and contributed to the beginnings of industrialization. Today, they are the face of many tourist brochures.
The emerging trend of industrialized camel breeding, based on maximizing milk production through confinement and controlling mobility, should give us pause for thought.