From one night to the next morning to Alejandro Henry, a dairy farmer whose production establishment is about 20 kms from Casupá, 58 of the 89 cows he milked died every day.
“It was something horrible … an accident”he said, notoriously affected by what happened.
According to him, the cows were in a field and during the night They opened a porter, it is assumed that they pechaban it and by accident it was opened and thus they returned to the dairy area, where for several hours almost all of them ingested an excessive amount of ground barley grains, which are used as a dietary supplement, but only in limited quantities.
That, the producer mentioned, gave the animals acidosis, “The pH in the rumen dropped”, acidosis that reached such a level of intensity that it caused ulcers, with fatal perforations in the cases already mentioned.
The data
The producer estimated that each of the cows he lost has an estimated market value of US $ 1,000.
Henry’s family-size dairy is in the area known as Geatán, near Casupá, but on Lavalleja soil. Until the accident, this 59-year-old producer had been milking 89 cows, most of them Holando and some crosses with Normando, with an average daily production of 15 to 18 liters per cow.
“The rest of the cows, those that did not die, were very affected but, luckily, little by little they are recovering … they are the ones that could eat less ground barley grain during that night,” he added.
How to give a hand
From the National Association of Milk Producers (ANPL) It was reported that there are three ways to collaborate, in order to raise a capital that allows the purchase of heifers to donate to the producer:
- Donate liters of milk to be deducted from the February referral to Conaprole (request it at 098 334 411).
- Make cash deposits in the BROU, in the current account (national currency) 001552651-00002 or in the current account (dollars) 001552651-00005 indicating “donation” in the matter of the transfer and report the donation to 098 334 411.
- Other type of donation (communicate it to 098 334 411).
Henry said that where that grain was that the cows accidentally accessed there were also bales, “but they didn’t even touch them, the cow is a very gluttonous animal, if they can they prefer grain, all their lives, which is something necessary and does well, but with a limit ”.
An additional damage: I was pregnant
The loss of the 58 cows came with collateral damage, since the vast majority of them were pregnant, with deliveries scheduled for spring this year.
“This is a hard, unexpected blow, which put us very badly because it also adds to a difficult time, this area was badly affected by a drought for almost two years and for something it was an area declared in agricultural emergency,” he added.
The positive thing, in the midst of adversity, is that solidarity attitudes were constantly happening.
“The people of ANPL were right away, the people of Conaprole also with whom we are seeing how to do, able to defer some payments, so as not to lower the curtain and be able to continue … many people expressed solidarity, Proleco, even the people of Central Lanera Uruguaya who I send them lambs, the neighbors, one now lends me 15 cows so that I can milk and another agreed to send me seven more … I have nothing but words of thanks for the support, I am amazed for the good of so much solidarityHenry declared.
Finally, he said that solidarity will allow the dairy farm to continue, with the value that this has: “I have two grown-up daughters who dedicate themselves to other things, but my wife is there and there are also five employees and only one in the dairy. he is single, the rest have a family and some even have several children ”.
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