– I came down to the barn, and then the cow was lying there. There was blood and vomit, and the cow was in death convulsions, says Lauten.
He has a farm at Kløfta and last weekend he was going down to the barn. There he found one of his cows lying on the ground – in visible pain.
In the feed tray he found a beer can, and had no doubt as to what had happened.
Romerikes Blad has also mentioned the matter.
– Violent death
Someone has most likely thrown the beer can on the field, and then it has been cut up into small pieces before it has ended up in the feed, the farmer believes.
– I am almost certain that this is what has happened, he says and continues:
– She has ingested pieces of metal, been cut open inside and bled to death. A rather violent death, says the farmer.
The cow was also pregnant and was due to calve in the summer.
– There is a certain financial loss, but the worst is that animals are tortured to death and almost tortured to death.
Razor leaves in the salad
– We try to pick up rubbish as best we can, but the grass grows too much. If there is a beer can lying there when we cut the grass, it gets cut up and ends up in the winter food for the cows, says Lauten.
The farmer says that it is the first time he has found a cow lying in death convulsions because of rubbish.
– I have previously had animals that I have had to euthanize because of the same thing. Then they have been euthanized in a humane way.
This time it was too late.
– It’s like someone cut up razor blades and put them in your salad.
Lauten hopes people think more about where they throw away their rubbish.
– Very problematic
The Norwegian Food Safety Authority is not unaware that garbage can end up in animal feed.
– We know that beer cans get into the feed which can cause illness and injury, possibly death in cows, says Tor Arne Moen, senior adviser in the animal welfare section of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.
Noah’s manager, Siri Martinsen, says this is an annual issue.
– It is especially in the summer that people throw away beer cans and other rubbish along the road, which ends up being ingested by cows. It is a very painful and unnecessary death.
She encourages people to think twice before throwing something away in nature.
– It is very problematic that people still haven’t learned not to throw away rubbish.
