After the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Belgium, China and Vietnam, the EU Herd of Cows is now visiting Malaysia! 

The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Malaysia has brought in the EU Herd of Cows to symbolize the good relationship between the two countries in this important year in which we celebrate the golden anniversary of Malaysia and 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The cows are also testimony to Holland as a leading center of agriculture, as was highlighted by the Malaysian Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, when he visited the Netherlands in 2005. 

The EU Cow Parade was a joint initiative by the Netherlands Embassy in Prague and the organisers of Cow Parade Prague 2004. The cows symbolise the 27 EU member states and the European Union. Artists have decorated the cows, often with national symbols. The Dutch cow is festooned with tulips, for example, and the EU cow is equipped with the European stars.


The EU herd had its première in Prague in the summer of 2004, where it was part of the Cow Parade. The herd has been exhibited at various locations during the Dutch Presidency (July – December 2004). During the EU Informal Agriculture Council in September 2004, the herd was shown in the courtyards of the Dutch parliament buildings and in the Keukenhof floral park. The herd then moved to Brussels, where they were exhibited in the corridors of the EU Council Building. In December 2004 the cows then moved back to The Hague, where they were to be seen throughout the city for over a month. After this they have been lend for various events in the Netherlands with an agricultural link.


In the autumn of 2005 they made their big journey to China where they have been on tour for a whole year in 2006. The cows did attract a great deal of interest of the Chinese public and the press. In January 2007 the EU was enlarged by two new member states: Romania and Hungary. For the herd to remain representative for the EU, it was also enlarged by two new cows. They made their first appearance in Vietnam. The EU Herd of Cows will be visiting many cultural and popular landmarks around Malaysia from August to November 2007. 


The cows are a symbol of Holland’s agricultural industry as dairy farming is one of the most important sectors of Dutch agriculture – approximately 60% of agricultural land in the Netherlands are used for dairy farms.

Please click  here for the Malaysian schedule of the EU Herd of Cows.

Date: 15 August 2007 - 30 November 2007