Lely discontinues activities in Russia and Belarus

The company will stop supplying robots to Russia and Belarus, and stated in a press release that it will continue to supply spare parts and consumables to existing customers in these countries, considering that otherwise cow welfare and food supply in the region would be compromised.

“As a global supplier of dairy farm robots, we are aware of our role in global food supply, including in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. We want to do right by the interests of the population (food supply), cows (animal welfare) and the promises we have made to our farmers, among others. On the other hand, we condemn all forms of violence used by Russia in this crisis. The current actions are not compatible with our values, and this has made us decide to completely stop our commercial activities in Russia and Belarus,” the company said.

Safety

The press release further added: “The safety of people comes first – those of our direct and indirect colleagues, suppliers and customers, and of everyone who is experiencing the consequences of this crisis in one way or another. Within the limited room for manoeuvre that Lely still has, our decisions will, in the first instance, be driven by the responsibility we have for the safety of our people and the people we work with.

Although Lely strongly condemns the invasion of Ukraine, based on current knowledge we will not unilaterally stop supporting our existing farmers in Russia, Belarus and surrounding countries. The only reason to supply parts and maintenance products to existing customers who are not on a sanctions list, is in the interest of animal welfare and because of the critical role our customers have in food supply.”

Lely made a donation to a Ukrainian sister organisation of FBNed (Familiebedrijven Nederland, of which Lely is a member), which has set up 2 humanitarian programmes in Ukraine.

Source and for more info: Lely