Jérôme and Christel Gendro are still in shock. This Saturday, January 28 in the early morning, in Queyrac near Lesparre-Médoc, one of their young cow is about to have a little calf, to calve. “I realize very quickly that it will be a complicated calving, it’s called the breeder’s eye”describes Jerome. The couple quickly decides to call a veterinarian to perform a cesarean section. Their regular doctor is unavailable due to a family event. The other, who is close to the farm, refuses to come, having been in conflict with them for several years.
“My wife and I made 17 phone calls, even as far as La Réole. Clinics we called were closed and referred us to another open vet, but who was too far to come. None veterinarian did not want to come”, says the one who finds himself delivered at this moment to himself with his wife. The cow is dying. He decides to film everything with his phone to keep evidence of what happened.
“We are heading towards a desertification of rural veterinarians”
“I was left helpless”recalls Jerome, tears streaming down his face. “My wife also called the gendarmes who came to the scene, as no one wanted to listen to us. They couldn’t do anything more.” Then, the cow dies with the calf in the belly. The body of the animal is put in a trailer far from the house the time of the autopsy on Tuesday, to prove what happened. The couple have already lodged a complaint against the geographically close veterinarian who did not wish to move despite the request of the gendarmes, for “act of cruelty”.
A dramatic situation which is likely to happen again in the future if nothing is donebelieves Franck Daubin, president of the regional federation of the health defense group in New Aquitaine. “We are heading towards a desertification of rural veterinarians, because as and when there are retirements, many young people do not want to come. They prefer to do dogs and cats and wait for clients in the office. They don’t want to go to the farm. They feel that it is not profitable enough for them. We will have to find solutions so that the case of Saturday does not happen again.he explains.
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