Deceptive Dairy

Exposing the capture, transport, conditioning, breeding, sale, and exploitation of Australian free-roaming wild camels for the dairy industry

Like Australian dairy cows, sheep and goats, Australian camels are exploited by the dairy industry. Camels are also broadly exploited for meat, skin, fibre, live export and animal tourism and human entertainment ventures. Classified as ‘feral’ and ‘pests’, Australian camels are also subjected to cruel lethal animal control programs such as aerial shooting.

Further information about Australian camels exploited and abused by animal tourism ventures, can be viewed at Animal Liberation’s Australian-first and groundbreaking investigation and expose: ‘Breaking the camel’s back’.

About Australian camels

Image courtesy of Galahad’s Sanctuary

Camels are sentient, social and highly intelligent beings. It is understood they blow on each other’s faces as a way of greeting.

Camels in Australia, correctly termed “camelids”, are the dromedary - or one-humped - camel species. Dromedary camels make up 94% of the world's camel population, and camels in Australia represent the largest and only disease-free camel population in the world.

The average life expectancy of a camel is 40 to 50 years. A full-grown adult dromedary camel stands 1.85m at the shoulder and 2.15m at the hump. Camel calves take three to four years to sexually mature.

Female camels have a gestation period of 12 to 14 months and in the wild, will nurse their calves for about 15 months.

Click here to download our Deceptive Dairy infographic.

Australian camel dairy

Learn more about camel dairy in Australia by exploring the drop-down menu below.

Like other species exploited by the dairy industry, camels are impregnated and their breast milk, intended for their calves, is stolen for human consumption and commercial dairy profits. Camel dairy derives breast milk produced by lactating female camels intended for their camel calves, and manufactures and markets this milk into a variety of dairy products.
Camel dairy products include: raw camel milk, pasteurised camel milk, flavoured camel milk, camel milk cheese, camel milk yoghurt, camel milk ice cream, camel milk laban, camel milk ghee, camel milk infant formula, camel milk powder and cosmetics. Some camel dairies are also selling camel ‘jerky’.
Camel milk is expensive and can cost up to $30 per litre, almost 30 times the price of cow milk.
Australian camel dairy products are distributed at business shopfronts, online, through supermarkets and hypermarkets, convenience stores, and speciality stores and come in a variety of packaging including cartons, bottles, cans and jars.
There has been very limited information gathered, compiled or published about the Australian dairy camel industry. The Australian camel dairy industry is an emerging animal exploiting industry, with the potential to grow and expand domestically, and as an export market.
Two Australian camel dairies sell some or all of their camel products to countries including USA, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Canada.
In 2016, Australia produced around 50,000 litres of camel milk each year. By 2019, production had increased to 180,000 litres. The industry’s gross value is estimated to be $800,000 per annum.
In the US, the camel dairy market size reached USD $7.7 Billion in 2024 and some forecasts predict the camel dairy market will reach USD $10.1 Billion by 2033.
Camel dairies exploit and harm camels in a variety of ways.
Australia currently has seven commercial camel dairy producers. The first license to sell fresh camel milk was issued in Queensland in 2006. Australian camel dairies are now established and operating in New South Wales, South Australia, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia.
Some of the seven Australian camel dairies run business shop fronts which include small sit-down and take away food and beverages options and several include camel rides as well.
A 2020 survey undertaken by the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, ‘Survey of Australian commercial dairy camel farms’, confirmed Australian camel dairy herd sizes average 54 head of lactating she-camels and 83 dry she-camels with an average of Labour force per farm being 5.25 man units, with a range of 1 to 7 man units. The average number of hours farm staff (including owners and managers) worked was, 32.25 h/week with a range of 20 to 38 h/week.
The camel dairy survey responses confirm, the newly introduced feral camels are firstly halter-broken and then slowly introduced to the milking parlour by following already domesticated she-camels. This procedure is undertaken both before and after calving. After calving the she-camels are retained in the milking parlour with their calves next to them as the milking machine is introduced. The animals are regularly handled during the re-domestication process to get them used to human contact. On average, this domestication (conditioning) process takes 61.6 hours, with a range of 5 to 90 hours.
Male camel calves are sold domestically for either transport, tourism, racing or (domestic) organic farms for weed control. One farm sold some of their male calves to international buyers. Animal Liberation expects some of these male camel calves are also sent to slaughter.
On two of the farms surveyed, the she-camels were vaccinated, although no information was provided with respect to what the disease(s) this vaccination was for. The major health issues identified were Se deficiency, mange, infectious pododermatitis, intestinal worms and, to a lesser extent, mastitis.
For the camel dairy businesses, the selection of she-camels extends beyond their production potential, with Australian dairy camel farmers also selecting animals on appropriate udder and teat size and overall conformation. Temperament is also an important selection criteria, especially given that the majority of the farms are utilising what were wild and free roaming camels as a source of she-camels.
Two of the Australian camel farms use year-round calving, and one utilises seasonal calving. For all of these farms natural mating was used, with the number of bulls ranging from 1 to 4 per farm. The average annual mortality rate of calves is 8%, with a range of 4% to 10%. There is variability in the length of time the calf and she-camel remained together after milking, ranging from 1 h to 2-3 h to 6 h. On all of the farms surveyed, weaning of the calves did not occur until after they were 12 months of age.
Many of the female camels are captured from the wild and free roaming camel populations in Central Australia and South Australia, but other sources can include dairy farm breeding or commercial purchases from other camel farms.
Camel milk differs from cow dairy in its composition, technological and nutritional make-up. Camels typically produce about five litres a day compared to dairy cows which can produce up to 28 litres of milk a day. The length of camel lactation can range from 40 to 78 weeks, and the frequency of milking in camel dairies can vary from once to twice daily.

The issues for Australian camels

Learn more about the animal welfare, environmental, and public health issues associated with camel dairy in Australia by exploring the drop-down menu below.

The major health issues identified were mange, infectious pododermatitis and intestinal worms, with mastitis of a lesser issue.
Currently, there are no antibiotics registered for camelids in Australia (M. Bale, Chief Veterinary Officer, Australian Wild Camel Corporation, pers. comm.) and thus are only administered off-label. Throughout the world, mastitis treatment is still based mainly on antibiotics but in some countries, traditional preventative and treatment methods and other non-antibiotic treatments are also used (Iyer et al., 2014; Ali et al.,2018). These non-antibiotic treatments include herbal remedies (Kalayou et al.,2012).
Some of the Australian dairy camel producers were utilising antibiotics (off-label) while others used non-antibiotic treatments for mastitis, but the effectiveness of these treatments needs further verification.
The major health issues identified were mange, infectious pododermatitis and intestinal worms, with mastitis of a lesser issue.
Currently, there are no antibiotics registered for camelids in Australia (M. Bale, Chief Veterinary Officer, Australian Wild Camel Corporation, pers. comm.) and thus are only administered off-label. Throughout the world, mastitis treatment is still based mainly on antibiotics but in some countries, traditional preventative and treatment methods and other non-antibiotic treatments are also used (Iyer et al., 2014; Ali et al.,2018). These non-antibiotic treatments include herbal remedies (Kalayou et al.,2012).
Some of the Australian dairy camel producers were utilising antibiotics (off-label) while others used non-antibiotic treatments for mastitis, but the effectiveness of these treatments needs further verification.
Camels exploited by the Australian camel dairy industry invariably originate from free-roaming wild camel herds across Australia’s remote outback regions. Others are bred in captivity or sold from other camel business, including other camel dairies.
We know, from our own investigation and the disturbing footage we obtained for Animal Liberation’s Breaking the camel's back, which was an Australian-first investigation into the dark side of camel tourism, that the capture and mustering of wild camels can be brutal and extremely traumatic for these camels. Our distressing footage shows clearly shows the type and severity of injuries sustained by these camels, and the prolonged abuse they ensure.
There is no animal welfare oversight or monitoring by the responsible animal welfare agencies during the capture and mustering process involving wild camels exploited for the Australian camel dairy industry.
Whether it’s the immediate transport following the capture of wild camels, or when being relocated elsewhere, the transport endured by the camels is often long-distance and gruelling. Confined in large trucks, camels are in close proximity to other frightened camels who are potentially unknown and unfamiliar to them. In these trucks, the camels are also exposed to unfamiliar noises, extreme weather conditions, and are unable to rest.
There is no animal welfare oversight or monitoring by the responsible animal welfare agencies during the loading, un-loading or transport of wild camels exploited for the Australian camel dairy industry.
Voluntarily walking into a milking shed is neither natural or instinctive for wild camels. The camels are therefore trained and conditioned to the once or twice daily milking process. On average, this training and conditioning ‘domestication’ can take anywhere between 61.6 hours, with a range of 5 to 90 hours.
There is no animal welfare oversight or monitoring by the responsible animal welfare agencies during the training and conditioning of wild camels exploited for the Australian camel dairy industry.
Viewed as property and commercial dairy commodities, these camels and their ‘worth’ is determined by their milk production, breeding capacity and value. Turnover, breeding and disposal of camels forms part of the Australian camel dairy operational and business model.
Camels who are no longer considered viable or who serve no useful purpose or economic returns are sent to slaughter or sold elsewhere and this includes many of the male camel calves.
The Australian dromedary camel population is subjected to multiple and ongoing cruel abuses. Considered and classified as ‘feral’ and ‘pests’, these camels are denied many animal welfare protections afforded to other groups of animals. This includes being regularly shot and killed from the air during aerial shooting programs.
These free-roaming and wild camels are exploited for their meat, skins and fibre. They are also exploited for animal tourism ventures, such as camel rides and camel racing. Some are sold as “pets” and others as “weed-eaters”.
There is no end to the range of exploitation suffered by these majestic beings who have adapted so well to Australia’s remote and dry outback regions.
As the world’s only disease-free dromedary population, these Australian camels are well regarded and highly sought after by overseas purchasers as Australia’s export market confirms.

Consumer information and the role of health professionals

The Australian camel dairy industry markets and promotes itself as sustainable, environmental, ‘healthy’ and ethical – Animal Liberation strongly disagrees with these claims.