Flying 4,000 cows to Qatar is one man's way to beat the Saudis

With 4,000 cattle arriving on 60 flights, the businessman is creating a dairy industry

Call it the biggest bovine airlift in history.

The showdown between Qatar and its neighbours has disrupted trade, split families and threatened to alter long-standing geopolitical alliances. It’s also prompted one Qatari businessman to fly 4,000 cows to the Gulf desert in an act of resistance and opportunity to fill the void left by a collapse in the supply of fresh milk.

It will take as many as 60 flights for Qatar Airways to deliver the 590-kilogram beasts that Moutaz Al Khayyat, chairman of Power International Holding, bought in Australia and the US. “This is the time to work for