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Deer calves killed in their thousands

Deer.Photo: pixabay.com

The Animal protection association requires the Farmers’ Union to introduce measures to prevent thousands of deer calves being killed by harversters every year.

Every year 4,000 fawns are killed in accidents, according to Norwegian Forest Owners Association. A significant proportion of them are killed by hay harversters, says the newspaper Nationen.
CEO Linn Krogstad in ‘Dyrebeskyttelsen’  believes the Farmers’ Union must ensure that information reaches their members.

– The only thing we can do is to encourage farmers to take precautions, says Bjørn Gimming at the Norwegian Farmers’ Union, to the newspaper. He emphasizes that it should not be necessary for the government to intervene.
Measures against deer deaths are part of the Green Party manifesto. Spokesperson for MDGs, Une Aina Bastholm, says the landowners are responsible and thus also the state. She promises a dialogue with the Farmers’ union.
There are simple methods that can be used to prevent calves getting caught during mowing, according to Krogstad. One is to scare them away with a dog in the morning and evening before the mowing starts. The second is to attach a plank with metal chains at the front of the tractor. When deer calves get hit by the chain, they will jump up and escape, she said.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today