Farmers in the US state of California have been granted permission to temporarily bury or compost dairy cow carcases, after a severe heatwave over the last month.

Hundreds of cows are understood to have died as a result of the heatwave, which in turn put pressure on rendering plants.

Baker Commodities, one of the largest rendering plants in California, confirmed to the Irish Farmers Journal that as a result of the heatwave, the company has seen an increase in the volume of animal mortalities coming into the facility.

“We were servicing at approximately 150% of our capacity.

“While our facility was down for emergency repairs, three counties within California had declared an Animal and Human Health Emergency, which permitted the temporary disposal of animal mortalities in those counties via temporary onsite composting, or more permanent composting under strict supervision.

“Once our plant was fully operational, they planned on lifting that emergency declaration.”

Impact on milk production

At the end of June, temperatures were recorded well into the 40s and in the 20s at night.

Dairy cows had to cope with highs of 26 degrees in the middle of the night.

Some farmers brought cooling fans into their sheds and some also invested in mist systems to try to bring the temperatures down.

California produces about one-fifth of the US milk pool, and production is expected to take a hit following the heatwave.

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