# Breeding of Camels in Europe: Between Continuity and Innovation
## 2 Camels Are Gaining New Momentum in Europe  
Camelids have served humans in various capacities for centuries, providing milk, meat, draft power, fiber, and recreation, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions where their resilience to harsh climates is invaluable. For example, dromedaries can yield between 1000 and 12,000 L of milk during an 8 to 18 month lactation period, with significant variations observed depending on the geographical region [44]. This significantly exceeds the milk production of Bactrian camels, which may yield between 514 and 1525 kg milk per 305 day lactation period [45]. The disparity highlights the dromedary's specialization as a dairy animal, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. Conversely, Bactrian camels are often regarded as multipurpose animals, valued for their meat, wool, and as pack animals, especially in the colder climates of Central Asia. Although camels were historically present in Europe during the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages, they were mostly confined to zoological gardens and circuses after that [9]. Despite a significant decline in their numbers after the Middle Ages, camels continued to hold socioeconomic and cultural significance in the Canary Islands well into the 20 th century [46]. Over the past three decades, however, camel farming in Western Europe has experienced a resurgence, particularly with an emphasis on tourism, sport, and milk production. According to FAOSTAT, the FAO's global statistical database, about 6000 camels are estimated to be currently present in Europe, representing 0.02% of the global camel population, with the Canary Islands (Spain) hosting the most notable group. These populations are primarily composed of dromedaries, although Bactrian camels and hybrids may also be found in some settings. Despite this modest figure, Europe's camel numbers are comparable to those in smaller Central Asian republics and recognized \"camel countries\" such as Lebanon [5]. During this period, camel dairy farms have been established across several European countries, including Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, Sweden and the Netherlands [47, 48]. In these farms, milking is conducted using machine milking systems. This resurgence not only represents a diversification of agricultural activities but also introduces camel milk production to the European market, where this luxury food was previously only available in the form of pasteurized milk and derived dairy products, through import from Middle Eastern countries, notably from UAE [49, 50]. As stated by [PERSON], [PERSON], [PERSON], and [PERSON] [48], over the past decade, the rise in demand for camel milk in Europe has been largely driven by a growing number of international consumers from countries where camel milk is a traditional product, as well as its growing popularity due to perceived health benefits. However, the price of dromedary milk remains higher than that of cow's milk due to the fact that dromedaries produce significantly less milk per day compared to cows. This is further compounded by the fact that there is substantial lack of knowledge regarding the influence of environmental factors (e.g., photoperiod and nutrition) in both the quantity and quality of milk, which could impact the processing characteristics of raw camel milk more than its price at the market. In addition, dromedaries require specialized training to be milked properly, ensuring that the milking machine and routine function optimally. The machine milking of dromedaries is still in its early stages and requires further research to optimize the technology and improve milk ejection [44, 51]. Regarding other camel-derived products, such as camel meat, to the best of our knowledge, it is not an established functional niche in Europe due to the lack of authorized slaughterhouses for these animals, among other factors.