Multiple Dead Dairy Calves Limerick

Furze99 · 06-09-2022 10:02am #1

https://www.rte.ie/news/munster/2022/0905/1320730-calves-limerick/

Shocking story with figures of dead livestock ranging from 100 to 400 beasts. Thought to be bull calves born from cows in dairy herds, which are of very little monetary value.

Unfortunately for the dairy farm industry, this sort of stuff is dynamite in the hands of those who are campaigning to reduce the national herd. Never mind, those who campaign for eating less meat & dairy.

Terrible for the poor bull calves to die like this, why not just slaughter them at birth if surplus to requirement. The ethics are very disturbing. Obviously many farmers are repulsed by the likes of this but the issue does seem to be part of the dairy industry.

brokenangel · 06-09-2022 10:55am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058262155/multiple-dead-dairy-calves-limerick

The bull calves can be sold, yes at a lower price, but sold to people for numerous reasons

No reason to kill 100+ animals and should be fully investigated before making assumptions of what happened.

Furze99 · 06-09-2022 1:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119578319#Comment_119578319

Indeed - we do have some reports already that issue arose as neighbour noticed a strong smell and initial view that malnutrition may be a contributory cause. Be interesting to see if we hear much more of the case after a couple of days as the dirty washing tends to get swept out of view quick enough. I hope we do as whilst I'd be very supportive of the ordinary family farm, there's an industrial element to some of the big players in the dairy business in particular.

xxxxxxl · 06-09-2022 7:27pm

Something fishy alright. Such a waste could be used for pet food minimum.

06-09-2022 10:39pm

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2022/09/05/investigation-after-400-calves-found-dead-on-limerick-farm/

So a year on from the finding of 270 dead calves on a farm we have another find of between 100-400 (reports are mixed on the exact number) dead male calves.

Death from disease and malnutrition. So the less pretty words would be neglect and starvation. Probably thrown on top of each other as they were born.

The biggest worry would be how prevalent is this behaviour ? How are all the other unwanted male calves disposed of ?

For every find like this how many are going undetected ?

Male calves have zero value so unfortunately, for them, they are discarded as such.

it just doesn’t feel like we live in a civilised society. Can you imagine how long it takes to die from starvation and how painful that would be ?

Now picture your dog or cat dying in such a manner. Why is one more acceptable than the other ?

elperello · 06-09-2022 10:46pm

RTE Radio 1 news at 1 today were to cover this but ran out of time.

Brian Dobson said they would come back to it tomorrow.

Ten of Swords · 06-09-2022 10:49pm

Threads merged

elperello · 06-09-2022 10:51pm

There is also another thread in Farming and Forestry which is now closed temporarily.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058262043/shocking-discovery-limerick

06-09-2022 10:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582045#Comment_119582045

They won’t come back to it as unfortunately that industry is still very protected in Ireland.

It’s quite convenient they ran out of time.

elperello · 06-09-2022 11:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582098#Comment_119582098

We will find out tomorrow.

Grueller · 06-09-2022 11:03pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582053#Comment_119582053

I am a dairy farmer Klopparama. Firstly, stick to facts please. Statements such as "probably thrown on top of each other as they were born" is mere conjecture and designed to be inflammatory.

I am not on here to defend actions like these. No ifs, buts or maybes. I do not condone the neglect of any animal. I am on here however to defend the position and viewpoint of the majority of livestock farmers. We have had two cases like this in the past year and its not good enough.

The truth of the matter is that we make our living from keeping our livestock in good health. Sick or dead animals destroy many things in a farmers life, finances are among them but the biggest loss is morale. I don't know any farmer that doesn't like and respect the animals in their care. I would know many farmers and could not think of anyone that would have animal welfare issues on their holding.

By the way, to correct your point about the value of male calves, they are not worthless. I have got up to €600 for reared male calves, so no, not worthless. A little fact checking before repeating all that you read, and tarnishing all of the farming community,wouldn't go astray thanks.

osarusan · 06-09-2022 11:05pm

I would have thought they would be worth more, even as dog food or whatever, than just letting them die.

I guess I'm wrong.

Grueller · 06-09-2022 11:07pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582098#Comment_119582098

I had the above comment posted before I saw this. Will you ever stop. It is blatantly obvious now that you are pushing an agenda. Let this be about the issue at hand, the welfare of these calves, not your ideology please.

06-09-2022 11:08pm

Are these isolated incidents that have been found out ?

Or is it more likely that this is happening more often ?

Life experience would tell me that for every few that are found there’ll be plenty not found.

06-09-2022 11:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582143#Comment_119582143

You can scramble all you want and hide behind words like ‘agenda’ (the irony being that you’re a farmer but you’re coming here with no agenda ?) but the facts always speak for themselves.

It’s happened before. It’s happened again.

I wonder how many times it’s gone unreported too.

Grueller · 06-09-2022 11:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582153#Comment_119582153

I cannot answer that Klopparama. However, they will have cost the person in question somewhere from €4000 at a minimum up to possibly €80,000 depending on breed, age and conformation. Given the costs involved, I would hazard a guess that it's not all that common.

Don't forget that all farmers must test all animals I their herd annually for TB. Every animal must be accounted for and present on the holding on the day of the test so it is only a matter of time for any farmer before a case like this will be discovered. Greater than 10% (iirc) mortality triggers an automatic inspection from the dept of agriculture so I would think that cases such as this are quite isolated.

brokenangel · 06-09-2022 11:18pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582153#Comment_119582153

The animals are a farmers life, you won’t be in business if you mistreat them.

Some people, very rarely, are not fit to be farmers like some people are not fit for any job and unfortunately the animals suffer. But this is tiny percentage

A few people seem to want to make a judgement before the fact, at the moment nobody here knows what happened

It is also totally incorrect to say these animals are worthless, they are not.

lalababa · 06-09-2022 11:19pm

There are no instances where a farmer can be financially rewarded for killing /letting die male dairy calves. So there is NO point in doing so. You may spend with time and money over 100 euro to raise a jersey male and then sell it for 20 euros at the mart. Losing 80+ euro. BUT if you killed/or let die those jersey calves instead you can be sure that it would show up on the herd records and the Dept. of Agriculture would come down on you hard even going as far as putting you out of business!

The most likely scenario is that those calves were bought in bulk as a calf rearing enterprise and the new owner started to suffer from a mental or physical illness..

Grueller · 06-09-2022 11:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582182#Comment_119582182

No Klopparama, I declared my agenda from the first sentence if you check back.

06-09-2022 11:21pm

See a similar thing happening but on a smaller scale each year with one of the bigger farmers around here who is well known as a complete tight arse c*nt.

Sick animals left in one of their fields with little grazing and water once they are older, lame or have other issues that a vet could solve.

One of the neighbours who is also a farmer ended up reporting him to the department of agriculture this summer after he left twenty dead cows lie in the field for two weeks and other neighbouring farmers were complaining about the smell and other cows breaking out into their fields for grass.

Grueller · 06-09-2022 11:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582203#Comment_119582203

Should be put out of business, simple as, if that is the case.

06-09-2022 11:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582207#Comment_119582207

Having dealt with the department previously on behalf of one of my uncles, and some of their vets, I have little faith in them doing the right thing.

Donald Trump · 06-09-2022 11:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582203#Comment_119582203

I'd take your story with an extremely large grain of salt. 20 cows dying at the same time ..... not to mention at a time when cows were making great money in factories. You're probably talking ballpark of 20k there for these 20 cows if they can walk up the ramp.

All animals have to be disposed of at registered facilities now and there is a fixed price per animal so there is absolutely no advantage for allowing them to "pile up".

One eyed Jack · 06-09-2022 11:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582053#Comment_119582053

Nobody has argued that what happened in this particular case is more acceptable than your facetious comparison based upon imaginary circumstances, but apart from that, the other difference is that people don’t keep livestock in their homes.

07-09-2022 12:32am

Some folks are quick to lump all dairy farmers into one group. You will have some farmers who cut corners, don't really care about animal wellbeing. I can only speculate like the rest of you. Normally the males are sold on as veal or pet food, why that wasn't the case no one knows at this stage.But how it is just now being reported I don't know considering the amount of bawling that would of went on.

whelan2 · 07-09-2022 6:17am

Who said this farmer involved is a dairy farmer? There are no clear facts just people jumping to conclusions.

brokenangel · 07-09-2022 7:13am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582235#Comment_119582235

All sort of stories will come out, in reality if the case was true other farmers would demand he is shut down

twenty cows dead around fields would be known by everyone in the area and to be honest ireland is so small everyone in the country. I live in Meath and never heard it once!!!! Plus my uncle and cousins farm in Meath

I said at the start let’s wait till the facts come out, the wild speculation doesn’t really help

Still stihl waters 3 · 07-09-2022 7:23am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119582580#Comment_119582580

Dairy farmer or ordinary farmer its still a horrendous thing to do to any animal, but let's not get caught up in semantics, at the very least a farmer buying bull dairy calfs is involved in the dairy industry, the wording isn't the issue here and seems a silly thing to be getting upset over