European

Cow Protection and

Agriculture
 General Synopsis
• Disaster unfolding or looming within farming projects
• Self sufficiency and farming relegated to history
• Preaching about the importance of the farm has not been prioritised
• Sense of starting again. How have we come to this after 30 years
• Our practiced social structure does not withstand leadership defection
• Asking impossible things of farm devotees. No money, no support, no
housing, no future
• Dependant on new pool of volunteers, current system does not support
families making it a career
• Cows stopped being bred or herds expanded and Cow protection being given
up by allowing national herds to die off
• Oxen not wanted and thus few working
• Farm production (where done) not supported by farms or other centres
• Farm products only for the farm and not the rest of the projects
• Farm assets sold for short term maintenance
• Farm land not being increased but sold off piece by piece
The whole idea is that we are ISKCON, a
community to be independent from outside
help.
(SPL to Yasomatinandana Dasa 28th Nov 1976)
•Our farm projects are an extremely important part
of our movement. We must become self sufficient by
growing our own grains and producing our own
milk; then there will be no question of poverty. So
develop these farm communities as far as possible.
•(SPL to Rupanuga 18th Dec 1974)
 ISKCON European League table 2007
Country land Herd Milk Oxen Ox hrs Arable Forest Wood Houses Direction
size Yield Working Used m3 Status
1 Hungary 200 34 23,000 10 7800 25 30 500 16 Thriving
2 England(BM) 52 41 44,000 9 5200 0 1.8 0 9 Thriving
3 Czech 40 12 7000 4 1000 13 0 0 0 Uncertain
4 Sweden 60 11 2500 1 500 0 40 360 11 Uncertain
5 Poland 35 6 3600 1 300 25 5 100 2 Precarious
6 Spain 300 6 7000 0 0 20 270 0 14 Uncertain
7 Italy(VV) 80 8 0 0 0 10 60 200 2 Uncertain
8 France 83 3 0 0 0 8 70 400 7 Terminating
9 N Ireland 15 3 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 Terminating
10 Germany 21 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 Terminating
11 Italy(PD) 13 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 Terminating
12 Slovakia 1.5 13 0 4 100 0 0 80 0 Precarious
13 Swiss 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Terminated
14 Belgium 60 0 0 0 0 10 47 0 15 Terminated
15 Italy(VHK) 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 30 Terminated
16 England(cnwl) 1.6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Unrated
17 Scotland 4.8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 12 Unrated
18 Italy(GM) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Unrated
Europe 975 144 87,100 29 14900 111 531.8 1640 126
 Cow Protection and working oxen status
Country Direction Summary
Status
1 Hungary Thriving 2 Thriving
2 England(BM) Thriving 4 Functioning to some degree but uncertain
3 Czech Uncertain 2 Functioning but Precarious
4 Sweden Uncertain 4 Terminating cow protection
5 Poland Precarious 3 Already terminated
6 Spain Uncertain 3 Unrated as yet
7 Italy(VV) Uncertain
8 France Terminating 18 Rural projects
9 N Ireland Terminating
10 Germany Terminating
11 Italy(PD) Terminating
12 Slovakia Precarious
13 Swiss Terminated
14 Belgium Terminated
15 Italy(VHK) Terminated
16
17 Scotland Unrated
18 England(cnwl) Unrated
Italy(GM) Unrated
Europe
 How much milk do we need for
self reliance in Europe
• Milk need for farms alone is 319,000 litres
per year
• How much milk is needed for all projects
– should we estimate twice as much thus 640,000
litres
– Should we estimate thrice as much thus
1,000,000 litres per year
Milk used by each farm project
70,000
60,000
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
Milk need 319,000 litres for farms
Hungary England(BM) Czech Sweden Poland
Spain Italy(VV) France N Ireland Germany
Slovakia Swiss Belgium Italy(VHK) Italy(PD)
Scotland England(cnwl) Italy(GM)
 Milk produced in each farm
50,000
40,000
30,000
20,000
10,000
0
Milk Produced 87,100 litres (27% of total)
Hungary England(BM) Czech Sweden Poland
Spain Italy(VV) France N Ireland Germany
Slovakia Swiss Belgium Italy(VHK) Italy(PD)
Scotland England(cnwl) Italy(GM)
 Expected Herd Size for Milk Product
Consumption
Farm Project Only-not Including City Temples and Other Projects

140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Expected herd 570
Hungary England(BM) Czech Sweden Poland
Spain Italy(VV) France N Ireland Germany
Slovakia Swiss Belgium Italy(VHK) Italy(PD)
Scotland England(cnwl) Italy(GM)
 Actual herd size
50
40
30
20
10
0
Herd size 143 (25%)
Hungary England(BM) Czech Sweden Poland
Spain Italy(VV) France N Ireland Germany
Slovakia Swiss Belgium Italy(VHK) Italy(PD)
Scotland England(cnwl) Italy(GM)
Estimated herd size for ISKCON
European self reliance
• Assuming need is 1,000,000 litres per year
we would require to impregnate 120 cows
each year.
• Herd total over 15 years 1800 cows.
Many Temples in India Have
Herds of 2000 Cows
Annual Working Hours of Oxen
8000

6000

4000

2000

0
Annual Ox Working hours
Hungary England(BM) Czech Sweden Poland
Spain Italy(VV) France N Ireland Germany
Slovakia Swiss Belgium Italy(VHK) Italy(PD)
Scotland England(cnwl) Italy(GM)
Heating with own woodlands
500
400
300
200
100
0
Wood used in M3
Hungary England(BM) Czech Sweden Poland
Spain Italy(VV) France N Ireland Germany
Slovakia Swiss Belgium Italy(VHK) Italy(PD)
Scotland England(cnwl) Italy(GM)
 Challenge-Making Farms
Fashionable
• Insufficient vocal support of leadership
– Not sure if farm projects are important
– Not enough regular visits by GBC and other
leaders
– Little preaching on the importance of the farm
 Proposal – Make farming
prestigious
• Leaders take every opportunity to glorify
the farm projects and the endeavours for
self sufficiency
• Leaders visit the farms more regularly
• Leaders meet with the farming devotees,
encourage them and support them
 Challenge – Finding carers for
the cows and farmers for the land
• Insufficient persons to care for the cows and
the land
• Expectation that farm devotees will be
volunteers or independently financed
• Where will farming devotees live
• A lifestyle for somebody else
Proposal – Make farming family
friendly
• Provide key farm workers with a living
• Pay the real price and find donor support
• Two persons at least for milking, ox work
and cover
 Challenge – Funding for farms
• Finances are difficult to find
• Farms need a lot of capital and running
costs
• Food items cheaply available in market
• Live in society of 9% spent on food using
farming system that works with 70%
 Proposals – look to our own
• Farms made national projects for fund
raising
• Find 100+ members of congregation to
donate 20 to 30 euros per month through
their bank
• Focused monthly donor raising for next
three years at large gatherings, mail etc
• Find an independent trustee for each farm
• Milk and farm products valued at real price
by ISKCON projects
Cow protection means good food and
good trade.
Srila Prabhupada letter 22 January, 1976 to Jayatirtha
 Challenge – Valuing our own
• If the farm has it we don’t want it
• The food from the land has soil on it
• Somebody else has eaten a bit already
• It looks different this time than last
• It takes more time to prepare it for the pot
• I can get it cheaper from the supermarket
 Proposal – Support it by using it
• Buy it from the farm if it is available
• Buy it at all cost (maybe a bit more each
year though)
• Tolerate (no, enjoy) the soil
• Tolerate the bites (its actually edible food)
• Give more time to its preparation (It’s for
Krishna)
Yes! Go on acquiring the surrounding lands
and in this way we will establish a local self
governing village and show all the world a
practical example of spiritual life as Krishna
Himself exhibited in Vrindaban.
Letter to: Kirtanananda
Bhaktivedanta Manor 27 July, 1973
 Challenge – Finding a place to
live
• I want to work on the farm but where do I
live
• Most projects have no spare housing
• Most projects can build but don’t have
capital
Proposal – Building more homes
• Don’t sell homes or land to devotees or
others
• Build to rent
• Tied homes. Here is your work, Here is
your home, Here is your income
• Lease OK
• Build all that can be built
 Five Point Action Plan for Farm
Development
• Make farming prestigious within ISKCON
• Make farming family friendly
• Find funding from our own
• Support it by using it
• Providing more homes