Farmer Geir has severely slaughtered five cows due to beer cans – NRK Troms and Finnmark – Local News, TV and Radio

– That they die in such an idiotic way is absolutely terrible.

Geir Freddy Toftaker at Målselv in Troms has been running a farm since 1998. He says that as a farmer he has a relationship with cows that compares to what people have for dogs and cats. He loves animals.

Then he thinks that it is absolutely horrible to see the cows die, what he can only assume is a very painful death. And in recent years, he has experienced it five times. More recently a few days ago.

– I was in the barn in the morning. When I returned two hours later, there was a large pool of blood in front of the cow.

– Hear many of those stories every year

Toftaker has a modern barn. It has feed mixes, in which it shoots three round bullets. The mixer paints the feed and feeds the cows every two hours throughout the day. There are several magnets in the mixer that should snap in if you have landed, for example, metal debris, nails, or steel cords in the liner.

– But soft drinks and beer cans are made of aluminum, so it doesn’t catch it. They are not magnetic If there are cans or the like in the mixer, it is painted in small pieces, so that the knife comes out of it.

That morning Toftaker was in the barn, he noticed that there were remains on the feeding tray. She got rid of it, emptied the blender, and took it with her. The farmer, therefore, hoped he had managed to save him from the animals.

– But on the one hand, it was too late.

New Troms mentioned the case first.

Stories like those of Geir Freddy Toftaker have heard the Norwegian Farmers Association several times, says 1st Deputy Leader Bjørn Gimming.

– We have gradually received many of those stories. Every year new stories come.

Gimming tells NRK that it’s hard to say anything about how often this happens and about developments. There are currently no statistics on how many animals die from food waste.

– We have tried to find out what the problem is, but we have not been able to answer it. The specific cause of such injuries is not recorded, either when the animal is slaughtered or when it is treated by a veterinarian.

Great attention on social networks.

Geir Freddy says he can only imagine how painful and uncomfortable it was for the cow.

– They cut internally and bleed around the body. Now I don’t know exactly what was attacked here, but when the cow bleeds from the mouth and nose, it is serious.

The farmer had no choice but to do what he had to do four times before. Ask a vet to order an emergency cow kill. This time at least the meat was saved. Geir Freddy has spoken to the slaughterhouse, which says that each year they receive many who have to remedy life for the same reason.

The previous four times he has kept the frustration and anger of what he sees at the coward away from the public. But this time he had enough.

I was so angry that I had to post it on Facebook. Now people have to start using their heads and think a little. If you look along the way, there are an incredible amount of boxes that are thrown away. The boxes are so light that the wind catches them and spreads them on the ground.

The post received instant attention, and according to Toftaker it has now been shared 1200-1300 times. Many sympathize and express that they think it is terrible.

Bjørn Gimming at the Bondelag in Norway is pleased that Toftaker has chosen to share his story. He thinks that all the attention that the subject can get both on social networks and in the media is good.

– It can help to sensitize most people. It is about attitudes and it is very much an attitude problem. I don’t think many people are fully aware of the consequences if animals get a broken box or fragments from it.

You think this is healthy public opinion

In 2016, the Norwegian Farmers Union made proposals that the mortgage should be increased substantially, because they believe it would lead to further recycling.

– We have a partial impact. The promise was made a little bit, but I think the promise should have been done more to give a stronger profit to keep it.

Geir Freddy Toftaker himself believes that healthy public opinion is the best solution to overcome this, but says that all measures are good measures. So far he does what he can to prevent it from happening again.

– Every spring when I am spreading fertilizer, the grass is not far away. Then I see everything. I carry garbage bags on the tractor all the time to collect everything I see. But it is not seasonal to lift boxes. It takes place all year. So when the grass is as high as it should be when mowing, I don’t see it.

– Then enter the round baler and press together with the grass. So please think that this can kill an animal.