Grim and tragic news coming from Co. Galway farm. Difficult reading.

TheBoyConor

On a farm in county Galway, the bodies of 270 dead bull calves were found in recent days.
Coucil and Dept have had to effect an investigation and clean up operation.

What on earth might have happened?
With the price of dairy calves on the floor, then it is hardly surprising that a few incidents of mistreatment or dumping might happen, but this is off the scale with 270 calves.

To me the occurrence of livestock death in such a scale and the dept & coucil having to do the clean up, would suggest that there was some sort of mental breakdown, or tragic circumstance, or other incident that made the farmer incapable of dealing with the situation.
With the pressures squeezing farmers from every side, you'd have the greatest sympathy with the lad on the one hand, but wtf on the other hand.

https://m.independent.ie/business/farming/news/farming-news/investigation-underway-after-270-dead-calves-found-on-farm-40343739.html

wrangler

TheBoyConor wrote: »

On a farm in county Galway, the bodies of 270 dead bull calves were found in recent days.
Coucil and Dept have had to effect an investigation and clean up operation.

What on earth might have happened?
With the price of dairy calves on the floor, then it is hardly surprising that a few incidents of mistreatment or dumping might happen, but this is off the scale with 270 calves.

To me the occurrence of livestock death in such a scale and the dept & coucil having to do the clean up, would suggest that there was some sort of mental breakdown, or tragic circumstance, or other incident that made the farmer incapable of dealing with the situation.
With the pressures squeezing farmers from every side, you'd have the greatest sympathy with the lad on the one hand, but wtf on the other hand.

https://m.independent.ie/business/farming/news/farming-news/investigation-underway-after-270-dead-calves-found-on-farm-40343739.html

If it wasn't a mental issue they'd have him in jail, we shouldn't condemn until we hear more.

roosterman71

TheBoyConor wrote: »

With the price of dairy calves on the floor, then it is hardly surprising that a few incidents of mistreatment or dumping might happen, but this is off the scale with 270 calves.

Did you read the article? It reports that this farmer bought these calves so your comment about the price of them is null and void.

TheBoyConor wrote: »

To me the occurrence of livestock death in such a scale and the dept & coucil having to do the clean up, would suggest that there was some sort of mental breakdown, or tragic circumstance, or other incident that made the farmer incapable of dealing with the situation.
With the pressures squeezing farmers from every side, you'd have the greatest sympathy with the lad on the one hand, but wtf on the other hand.

https://m.independent.ie/business/farming/news/farming-news/investigation-underway-after-270-dead-calves-found-on-farm-40343739.html

Lets not speculate about the mental state. Anything could have happened. I'd expect it was a serious problem that led to a farmer allow 270 bought in animals suffer and die like that.

patsy_mccabe

Very strange. No need for speculation, at this point.

jaginsligo

270, you'd think someone other than the farmer would be aware of it before it got that bad. I couldn't face that clean up operation

wrangler

jaginsligo wrote: »

270, you'd think someone other than the farmer would be aware of it before it got that bad. I couldn't face that clean up operation

So much for farmers minding their neighbours. too many only worried about what goes on in their own gate. We'd a farmer in similar situation with a lot of sheep and when the weather got bad lots of the neighbours went in with bales of silage. Vet office looked after it nice and quietly, they'd try everything before they'd report it ''upstairs'' (single farm payment office) as they'd say themselves

There is only so much you can do that is a serious number of animals dead its a wonder something did not click with somebody. I had a neighbour he had ninty acres great tillage land he decided he would go organic it was a mess lasted a year half , a brother tried to help him out turned it around but he put every challange on him he lasted it for five years he could be in the pub promise a lad bales of straw or a tank of barley so the brother left it to him had enough of him the drink was a major problem and mental issues from the drink.

whelan2

wrangler wrote: »

So much for farmers minding their neighbours. too many only worried about what goes on in their own gate. We'd a farmer in similar situation with a lot of sheep and when the weather got bad lots of the neighbours went in with bales of silage. Vet office looked after it nice and quietly, they'd try everything before they'd report it ''upstairs'' (single farm payment office) as they'd say themselves

Covid has a lot to answer for. People are isolated.

_Brian

God bless that’s a terrible situation indeed.

This sort of thing is extraordinary rare in an Irish context and that’s why it’s so shocking.

I know there will be anti farming brigade jumping all over this but people need to show some restraint, something out of the ordinary has happened here.

Iodine1

When things start to go wrong, the farmer can easily be overwhelmed, and things deteriorating very fast. Especially calves, disease can race through, resulting in deaths very soon indeed. Farmer unable to cope, but doesn't want to lose face and admit failure, tries to deal with it himself, things only go from bad to worse. I'm sure it wasn't intentional and I can only say God help the people involved.

TheBoyConor

No word of any prosecution end of the investigation. Can we infer from that that the farmer himself my be in a bad state himself. God knows what was going on in his mind.

The poor animals. That is just shocking.

TheBoyConor

This is probably the worst animal mass die off in many many years. It may even be the worst on record. Even in the fodder crisis, there was nothing like this.

Robson99

_Brian wrote: »

God bless that’s a terrible situation indeed.

This sort of thing is extraordinary rare in an Irish context and that’s why it’s so shocking.

I know there will be anti farming brigade jumping all over this but people need to show some restraint, something out of the ordinary has happened here.

Well considering the way Gordon Elliot was treated over sitting on a dead horse then they will have a field day with this.
270 is a serious number.

Say my name

Robson99 wrote: »

Well considering the way Gordon Elliot was treated over sitting on a dead horse then they will have a field day with this.
270 is a serious number.

No names. But does anyone know if this person kept livestock before and especially reared suck calves before?

I shouldn't be commenting or posting in the thread. It just doesn't feel right.

But neither does the incident and the thread is here. I know a bad case of crypto or cocci and especially at this time with isolation anything could happen.

My warped spidey scences have me wondering was it some newcomer paid off in this warped time we're living in by the anti animal activists with deep pocket benefactors to set the scene and make the headlines to further the cause against animal agriculture in Ireland.
Could say like that calf kicker in France who was working a wet week and installed the cameras to film himself.

It's all strange. To me anyway.

(Although with neighbours. My father tells of a farmer at a neighbouring farmers wake. He asked a mourner was the deceased sick long..)

vandriver

Say my name wrote: »

No names. But does anyone know if this person kept livestock before and especially reared suck calves before?

I shouldn't be commenting or posting in the thread. It just doesn't feel right.

But neither does the incident and the thread is here. I know a bad case of crypto or cocci and especially at this time with isolation anything could happen.

My warped spidey scences have me wondering was it some newcomer paid off in this warped time we're living in by the anti animal activists with deep pocket benefactors to set the scene and make the headlines to further the cause against animal agriculture in Ireland.
Could say like that calf kicker in France who was working a wet week and installed the cameras to film himself.

It's all strange. To me anyway.

(Although with neighbours. My father tells of a farmer at a neighbouring farmers wake. He asked a mourner was the deceased sick long..)

That's some serious stretch.

_Brian

Read elsewhere is was a massive pneumonia outbreak and that vets were involved along the way. Obviously that’s just 3rd hand stuff.

Say my name

vandriver wrote: »

That's some serious stretch.

That is what they do now.

There's a seriously militant group in France. Any trick in the book they do now.
Covert cameras, members working on farms, putting fake skin/wool on a sheep to show it being 'skinned' for wool on social media.

All for media coverage. Big jump but when you read/see what they and the lengths they go.

Brian's cleared it up anyway.

TheBoyConor

Surely things could have been salvaged at a much lesser toll if the vet had been involved early on. Sounds fishy to me.

Anyway, it is what it is. What I'd now be worried about is that even if that is the case what is the next step for the farmer. He is now seriously in the hole for money having bought all those calves, and the inputs, and now dealing with the massive cost of disposal and vet bills.

If mental issues were not at play, then I wouldn't blame him if they cropped up now. THat is a seriously catastrophic situation to find yourself in. Could be the end of that enterprise.

Jb1989

Say my name wrote: »

No names. But does anyone know if this person kept livestock before and especially reared suck calves before?

I shouldn't be commenting or posting in the thread. It just doesn't feel right.

But neither does the incident and the thread is here. I know a bad case of crypto or cocci and especially at this time with isolation anything could happen.

My warped spidey scences have me wondering was it some newcomer paid off in this warped time we're living in by the anti animal activists with deep pocket benefactors to set the scene and make the headlines to further the cause against animal agriculture in Ireland.
Could say like that calf kicker in France who was working a wet week and installed the cameras to film himself.

It's all strange. To me anyway.

(Although with neighbours. My father tells of a farmer at a neighbouring farmers wake. He asked a mourner was the deceased sick long..)

Don't get your last bit, whats wrong with him asking how long the deceased was sick?

Say my name

Jb1989 wrote: »

Don't get your last bit, whats wrong with him asking how long the deceased was sick?

Totally different from the rest of the message.

Neighbours are not always neighbourly.

charolais0153

_Brian wrote: »

Read elsewhere is was a massive pneumonia outbreak and that vets were involved along the way. Obviously that’s just 3rd hand stuff.

Yeah heard that and that he had a bill with the knackery and they wouldn't collect them .

E mac

charolais0153 wrote: »

Yeah heard that and that he had a bill with the knackery and they wouldn't collect them .

To collect a single calf here is €25. 270 comes to €6750 aside from their sad loss it’s a stunning cost just to remove them as well as vet fees feeding etc.

lab man

charolais0153 wrote: »

Yeah heard that and that he had a bill with the knackery and they wouldn't collect them .

Its roughly a tenner for a calf bad job if they wouldn't take the calves I think theres a hard luck story here anything can go wrong could have bought the calves on the strength of selling older stock went down with tb then the show snowballs pretty fast especially in suckler farming as the payment structure is arse ways ppl should be getting their sfp etc by march so they can pay forward not at the end of the year having to pay a heap of Bill's that are through the year. anyway may he/she have health themselves I'm sure they will get help god help them

charolais0153

lab man wrote: »

Its roughly a tenner for a calf bad job if they wouldn't take the calves I think theres a hard luck story here anything can go wrong could have bought the calves on the strength of selling older stock went down with tb then the show snowballs pretty fast especially in suckler farming as the payment structure is arse ways ppl should be getting their sfp etc by march so they can pay forward not at the end of the year having to pay a heap of Bill's that are through the year. anyway may he/she have health themselves I'm sure they will get help god help them

Lads have been telling me stories bout this buck and none have been positive, be a rough spot enough

lab man

charolais0153 wrote: »

Lads have been telling me stories bout this buck and none have been positive, be a rough spot enough

Then would his vet is in trouble I'd say, for care of animals ?

Robson99

lab man wrote: »

Then would his vet is in trouble I'd say, for care of animals ?

Maybe the Vet wast brought out

lab man

Robson99 wrote: »

Maybe the Vet wast brought out

Ya, feck after buying 270 calves roughly 30k plus 5 or 6 pallets of milk replacer be another roughly 8 k nothing adds up

whelan2

lab man wrote: »

Ya, feck after buying 270 calves roughly 30k plus 5 or 6 pallets of milk replacer be another roughly 8 k nothing adds up

Fr calves could be got for little or nothing not too long ago. On this forum we've read it was a dairy farmer too big for his boots, a pneumonia outbreak, vet was involved, fqrner is dodgy,farmer was ill, could have been crypto, knackery won't collect animals.....

greysides

Mod:

Thread closed pending mod review.

We have to be mindful there is likely to be a criminal case to follow the investigation.

If more information comes out it would be easier to allow discussion continue.