Evolution Farming

[Fergieman]

Copied from Evolution Farming Facebook page. Must be a nightmare for them. (Not sure if any off them are on here)

After the worse night in my 20 years of dairy farming daylight has broken on 54 dead cows at our Leicester site. Originally thought to be bloat it is now believed to be external water source contamination the likely cause. A long and emotional night for all the farm team, their families ourselves and the vet Henry. Thanks to the quick thinking of our amazing team of people 30 cows that were down were saved. Also thanks to the fire brigade who were called when it became clear it was a water issue to get water to the cows to flush their systems. I guess now the clear up operation begins plus the investigations will start it will be a long day....

Tom & Charlie

 

[bigw]

I saw that this morning, bloody awful. It got me thinking about possibility of deliberate contamination and how easy it would be to do.

 

[AndrewM]

https://www.fwi.co.uk/news/environment/dairy-farmer-wakes-54-dead-cows

 

[awkward]

sorry for your trouble. hard enough to get on when things are going well.

 

[Princess Pooper]

Must be awful - hell of a resource needed dealing with that number of sick cows. We use the same vet practice and luckily they have a really good team of farm vets, apparently 5 were on the job overnight. Working out it was the water and then calling the fire service in for safe water at night. They are on boreholes so I assume that asap yesterday they plumbed into the mains to carry on with mains water for the cows until the problem is resolved. And then after a night like that you've still got to turn round and milk as well as dealing with continued care of sick cows, sorting out tests on the water, pm's , deadstock collection and dealing with your milk buyer (and possibly FSA?) as obviously the milk has to be known to be safe before it can go back into the food chain. Absolute nightmare and all credit to Evolution and their support for dealing with it. Makes you realise how important emergency plans are!

 

[DairyGrazing]

Isn’t botulism normally to blame for things like this? A man in South Wales had trouble last winter?

They always say don’t put chicken muck on grass for that reason.

 

[Suffolk Serf]

I was involved on a dairy farm a few years ago. The herd had been watered from a bowser that had been used for liquid fertiliser. The symptoms there sound startlingly similar: starting off with bloat and many deaths but at least not a food safety issue.
Commiserations to Tom and Charlie and the staff.

 

[Friesianfan]

I had my loss back in October but it still affects me every day. Can’t get the scene of a yard full of dying cows out of my head and nothing we did could help them

 

[Rossymons]

Must be awful - hell of a resource needed dealing with that number of sick cows. We use the same vet practice and luckily they have a really good team of farm vets, apparently 5 were on the job overnight. Working out it was the water and then calling the fire service in for safe water at night. They are on boreholes so I assume that asap yesterday they plumbed into the mains to carry on with mains water for the cows until the problem is resolved. And then after a night like that you've still got to turn round and milk as well as dealing with continued care of sick cows, sorting out tests on the water, pm's , deadstock collection and dealing with your milk buyer (and possibly FSA?) as obviously the milk has to be known to be safe before it can go back into the food chain. Absolute nightmare and all credit to Evolution and their support for dealing with it. Makes you realise how important emergency plans are!

I think they deserve some credit for being open about it. As much I wouldn't want to tell the whole world about it there will be some good for everyone else to learn from here.

Still an absolute nightmare though. I remember finding a group of my cows this winter on the silage pit after they escaped and a big pile slipped and killed 3 of them. I can't imagine what they must be feeling on such a bigger scale. Just awful.

 

[Married 2 The Mob]

I was involved on a dairy farm a few years ago. The herd had been watered from a bowser that had been used for liquid fertiliser. The symptoms there sound startlingly similar: starting off with bloat and many deaths but at least not a food safety issue.
Commiserations to Tom and Charlie and the staff.

Story emerging locally, is that the above may sadly, be close to the mark.
Awful, really feel for those involved.

 

[The Happy Herdsman]

Heartbreaking news for all involved. Lost 8 cows to staggers earlier this year which was almost enough to send me into despair so I can only imagine what the team over there are feeling and going through. I went to school and played rugby with Charlie and this really couldn't happen to a nicer bloke. Commiserations.

 

[Grassman247]

I’m sorry but I think a few on here need to wake up.

Absolutely heartbreaking that cows have to suffer like that.

 

[Cows 'n grass]

That’s a rather bold statement to make

I'm not sure bold would be my first choice of word.

 

[Headless chicken]

I'm not sure bold would be my first choice of word.

I was trying to be polite. I wonder if @Grassman247 cares to expand on his statement

 

[cowgirl95]

I think Tom Rawson is a very nice modest man you just can't help but warm too

 

[wasted years]

Why was my post deleted on here please?

 

[cowgirl95]

Welcome to my world

 

[Cows 'n grass]

Why was my post deleted on here please?

What did it say?

 

[buffalo_soldier]

It quoted a somewhat litigious post, which has been heavily edited now.

In the old days, those involved would have received an explanation.
Not sure if that's the way things are done now.

 

[cornishfarmer]

Not nice story at all, hope if mistakes were made they are learnt from. Thinks like this make you think, it’s like when you hear of a farm accident it make you concentrate mind to try and avoid it happing as your farm. Sound like they were on the ball to get fire service involved something I wouldn’t personally have thought of.
Another thing for people in non tb areas to think of is that a hand full of people if not more loose this many cows to tb every year