18,000 cows died in a fire in the state of Texas, near the city of Dimmit. They were intended for milk production. The farm is located in Castro County and is the second largest dairy manufacturer in the state. In February they were able to produce over 147 million pounds of milk. This occurred on April 10, 2023.
While this tragedy sounds terrible, the truth is that the 18,000 cows that died represent only a small fraction of the 13 million cows that are farmed in the state. What’s more, it’s not the first time something like this has happened, as in 2015, some 35,000 cows froze to death in a natural disaster.
It is also not the only time that cows have been killed by fire. This incident is the most serious of its nature since these accidents began to be investigated, which is synonymous with being the worst in all of history, since they only began to record these types of events since 2013. The first recorded fire on a dairy farm of this type was in 2020, with the death of 400 cows.
The malfunction of a piece of equipment on the farm may have caused the fire. Methane likely caused the explosion.
Slaughterhouse fires are not an unusual event, unfortunately it is usually quite common. This is because the meat industry does not invest in adequate infrastructure to avoid these problems, since regulations are very lax. The same standards do not apply to facilities intended for humans.
The most morbid aspect of this problem is that this year around 6.5 million animals have died in this type of accident. Birds are the ones who suffer the most, since they are usually overcrowded in large numbers and this causes them to die in large numbers. They account for 92% of all deaths in these incidents.
These types of industries could implement all the necessary measures so that these problems do not occur again, but the reality is that they do not show any interest in this regard. They do not even respect their own standards that they must present to pass the certifications.
Most disturbing of all is the number of animals confined in such a small space. This type of mega butchery farms only demonstrate the degree of unconsciousness of part of our society, the complete apathy towards animals. The total area occupied by these cows was equivalent to 26 soccer fields. Their total weight was equivalent to 37 locomotives.
The way to dispose of the animal carcasses also implies a great challenge, due to the exaggerated amount of carcasses that were generated in this accident. There are several methods to do this, either by burying them, incinerating them or using them for composting.
However, in this case it is not a simple task. The preferred method to do this is to bury them in land authorized to handle this type of waste, so that it does not contaminate the soil.
Although in this situation it is unrealistic to think that it is possible to do something like this, there are too many corpses and it is unlikely that there is a place that can hold this amount. Incinerating all these bodies is a tedious and costly task, as it is only possible to burn three to four bodies at a time. The composting method is also a great challenge, as it requires an exorbitant amount of organic material to process it all.
Once again, it shows that the desire to make money at the expense of the lives of others is what takes precedence. This case was only known thanks to the species, because if it had been birds, it would have been completely ignored, as has already happened. It is not possible that we continue to have this lifestyle, it does not do good to the planet and will continue to contribute to this planet remaining a hell for animals.
Sources
How many cows died in dairy fire? 18,000, enough for 26 football fields (freep.com)
Mueren 18000 vacas tras explotar una granja láctea en Texas (lazonaveggie.com)
Tragedia ecológica: mueren 18.000 vacas tras explosión en granja | Agenciapi.co
Mueren 18.000 vacas por una uexplosión de origen desconocido en Texas (antena3.com)
The Dimmitt, Texas, dairy farm fire that killed 18,000 cows, explained – Vox
After cattle deaths at Texas dairy: Disposing of 18,000 carcasses (usatoday.com)
