Thousand Cattle Killed By Drought and Ragwort Combination
ARGENTINA – Over a thousand cattle have perished from starvation and weed poisoning in the Misiones region because of pasture shortage and an abundance of Ragwort.
20 March 2014
1 minute read
A winter drought has hit farmers in the far north eastern extremity of the country and led to a mass post-mortem.
The government animal health body SENASA has reported the deaths of 1,356 on 13 farms. Of these, around 400 cattle died from liver failure after eating dried Ragwort (Senecio brasiliensis).
Pasture shortages and subsequent high stocking densities led to ‘chronic weight loss’.
SENESA analysed all deceased cattle after sampling on 14 February.
A SENASA spokesperson said: “In its dried form Ragwort causes liver cirrhosis after ingestion which is an irreversible process once started. The animals would have died slowly due to a liver failure."
Michael Priestley
News Team - Editor
Mainly production and market stories on ruminants sector. Works closely with sustainability consultants at FAI Farms
