The Mysterious Death of Cattle: A Devastating Blow for Farmer Omgo Nieweg

For three days, cattle farmer Omgo Nieweg from Adorp has been busy with nothing else. On Friday, nineteen of his cows lay dead in the barn. Cause: unknown. And that cuts deep. “This is something you don’t want to experience.”

Nieweg and his son were milking on Sunday morning. “My son broke at one point. He was completely exhausted, so I sent him home. We’ll get over this eventually. That’s simple enough. But it’s going to take a while before we’ve given this a place.”

Various investigations

Early Friday morning, Nieweg entered the barn and first two dead cows were found. Then he saw more animals lying there. Nieweg warned the authorities. The investigation into a cause started immediately.

Research that will probably never be 100 percent conclusive. “Dissection has been done. As a result, a number of causes have been ruled out. We also thought about electrocution, but it can’t be.”

The Groningen Security Region has also investigated possible causes. The presence of gases and the possibility of electrocution were examined. A spokesperson said this weekend that the cause of death has not been found. ‘We advised the farmer to ventilate well’.

A company? It is much more than a company

Nieweg himself is convinced that a gas is the cause, but he is not sure. “The question of what happened, that eats at you, you are always busy with that. Especially since they are your animals. I do understand that it is sometimes difficult for people to imagine how a farmer stands. That as a farmer you run a business, but believe me, it’s much more than a business. This touches you.”

Because there is no clarity about a cause, Nieweg has little peace. At night he went into the stable to see how things are going. “Because you don’t trust it.”

The other cows in the barn are doing well. “Yes, you can see that they are stressed. We are impressed by what happened, but so are the cows.”

Money is less important

Nieweg can’t really talk about what to do next. The nineteen cows he has lost cannot simply be replaced, he says.

Financially, the mysterious death of his cows also means a noose, but Nieweg thinks that is less important. “This is really a blow, a bad movie. Money is not the most important thing now. Keep your head up and we’ll get back on top. But it will take a while.”

2023-07-23 12:03:00


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