In the early 1970s, Dr Jagat S. Ratra from the Rotary Club of Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India, met Dr John Moss, a vet from the Rotary Club of Bromsgrove, on a visit to England where he was exploring ways to improve the breeding of Indian cattle. The Rotary clubs of District 1060, co-ordinated by Bromsgrove Rotary Club, initially donated 5,000 doses of frozen semen from pedigree Holstein/Friesian bulls.

The project's success generated widespread interest and the initiative, which lasted for more than a decade, extended to other areas of India and other parts of the developing world.

The initiative resulted in improved cattle breeding programmes and yields of up to six times more milk. The nutrition levels in communities rose along with farmers' income.

The Operation Milk Flow programme became a Rotary International Community Project.