German cow out of necessity asked to be slaughtered

The increase in the number of slaughters in Germany reaches double figures. This applies to heifers, but even more so to cows. At the same time, fewer calves are being slaughtered. This can be concluded from the figures of the BMLV.

From lagging behind to rising
Cattle slaughter showed a lag in week 26 compared to 2017. However, that has changed. The concerns around the feed supply have now translated into concrete actions. More animals are sent to slaughter, especially in western Germany. This is despite the fact that, according to media reports, the drought is causing inconvenience, especially in the north and east of the country.

It is certain that the drought is the cause of the increase in the number of slaughters, because the milk price does not provide any reason to slaughter animals. Prices for cows for slaughter are also falling, which is usually a disincentive to dispose of animals.

Nevertheless, almost 29% more cows (in class E to P) were slaughtered in week 22, compared to 2017. The number of slaughters for heifers is 13% higher. If the trend of recent weeks continues, slaughter numbers will remain high in the coming weeks and may not have even reached their peak yet.

Min 2 cuts
"My neighbors have reduced the number of cows. They cannot sell them because there are no buyers. So they have to slaughter the cows. I hope it doesn't come to that in our case," a dairy farmer from Brandenburg told VRT. Due to the drought, livestock farmers are already missing almost 2 cuts of grass. It is also exciting to see what the corn harvest will yield. Because winter stocks are already being used, a lot depends on the stocks that have been built up earlier. 

Not only Brandenburg, but also Lower Saxony (the second largest state in terms of dairy farming) has been hit hard. Other states are Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia and Saxony. There are also stories from other corners of Germany of livestock farmers struggling with fodder production. However, it is striking that milk state number 1 (Bavaria) is benefiting from the favorable weather. This region in particular is designed for long periods of dry and warm weather.

Little bit of hope
The possibility of using greening crops as animal feed has given several dairy farmers hope again. At the same time, a lot depends on the coming weeks. The longer it takes, the more negative the calculation turns out and the more cattle still have to go to slaughter.

In Denmark too, many more cows go to slaughter than is normal at this time of year. These are organic cows. They must be supplied with 60% fresh grass and that is extremely difficult this year due to the drought. As a result, the slaughter of organic cows has started.

The damage caused by the drought is steadily increasing. This turns out to be bigger, because the part of Europe that normally receives a lot of rain is now very dry. Sufficient precipitation has fallen in the south of Europe. For example, northern Italy is particularly green in the summer.