FEIGNIES, France: In a small village in northern France, where cows have grazed green pastures for as long as anyone can remember, one farmer has defied national traditions by producing camel milk and cheese.

The tall, gangly silhouettes of Julien Job’s herd of 80 camels and dromedaries — one of the largest in Europe — make for an unusual sight in a country globally renowned for its cow and goat milk cheeses.

“You have to like the unknown,” said Job, 43, who used to transport animals for zoos and circuses before opening his “Camelerie” farm in the village of Feignies in 2015.

Job was the first farmer in France to obtain approval from EU health agencies to commercialize camel milk and dairy products.

But demand for camel milk is growing as its ecological and health benefits become better known.

Containing up to five times more iron than cow’s milk, it is non-allergenic and some studies have suggested that it has immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory properties.

On its website, the Camelerie farm offers pasteurised camel milk, kefir (fermented milk) and sometimes “Bosse des Fagnes” and “Camelhoumi” — two cheeses developed with the support of researchers that earned Job a medal at the 2024 World Cheese Awards in Kazakhstan.

Camel milk is highly perishable and pasteurization is essential to bringing it to wider markets.

The milk is richer in vitamin C than cow’s milk, easier to digest for lactose-intolerant people and high in unsaturated fatty acids.

Some studies are also exploring its potential effects on cancer cells, blood sugar regulation in diabetics and autism.

“There is a mix of myths, empirical observations and scientific truths around this milk,” said Bernard Faye, a researcher at the French Agricultural Research Center for International Development.

Camel milk has traditionally been produced by nomads in arid or semi-desert regions and reserved for their own consumption.

But in recent decades, farms have appeared in Gulf countries and global demand has surged, up more than 8 percent year on year in Europe.

With climate change, new countries are also turning to camel farming, from sub-Saharan Africa to the United States.

Camels can live off poor vegetation and consume much less than a cow of the same weight. And because they have no hooves, they cause less damage to the soil.

They can also be used in ecological grazing to clear pastures.

“It is one of the only animal species that survives between minus 40 degrees Celsius (minus 40 Fahrenheit) and plus 40C,” says Christian Schoettl, president of the French Federation for the Development of Camelids.

The camels of Feignies display beautiful humps that tend to be fatter than those of desert camels.

The only potential issue is humidity — a problem that Job addressed by administering dewormers more often than he would for cattle.

At 17 euros ($19.7) per liter, camel milk remains a luxury product unlikely to replace cow milk anytime soon.

Making cheese from camel milk also requires large quantities of liquid, and its consumption is expected to remain even more marginal for the time being.

“A female camel produces two to three liters per day, every other year,” Job said, or about 10 times less than a Norman cow.

Job has found a workaround, earning his income from selling milk but also tourism — offering camel rides — and from selling the young male camels.

PRAGUE: Czech authorities have detained five teenagers for being radicalized online by the militant Daesh group and charged two of them with terror-related crimes over an attempt to set fire to a synagogue, officials said Wednesday.

Břetislav Brejcha, the director of the Czech counterterrorism, extremism and cybercrime department, said most of the suspects are under 18 years old.

They were detained between February and June as a result of an international investigation that started last year.

The five were promoting hate content on social media against minorities, certain communities and Jews, Brejcha said. During seven raids in the Czech Republic and Austria, police seized some weapons, such as knives, machetes, axes and gas pistols.

On Jan. 29, 2024, two of the five tried to set a synagogue in the second largest Czech city of Brno on fire, Brejcha said without offering details.

The following month, Czech media reported an arson attempt and said police were looking for witnesses. The reports said two suspects placed a firebomb in front of the synagogue but it did not explode and no damage was reported.

The charges against them include hate-related crimes, promotion and support of terrorism and a terror attack attempt.

The suspects were also involved in online groups recruiting fighters for Daesh militants in Syria, Brejcha said. The Czech authorities cooperated with their counterparts in Austria, Britain, Slovakia and with the European Union’s law enforcement agency Europol in this case, he added.

Michal Koudelka, the head of the Czech counterintelligence agency known as BIS, said the five shared a fascination with violence and hatred against Jews, and others.

They were approached online by Daesh members and became radicalized, Koudelka said.

“We consider online radicalization of the youth a very dangerous trend,” Koudelka said, adding that the suspects had not been in touch with the local Muslim community.