Over 360,000 Livestock Already Dead... "Compensation Is Hard to Get"

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Animals are struggling just as much in this suffocating heat. So far, more than 360,000 livestock have died nationwide, and livestock farms are fighting a round-the-clock battle against the heat.

Reporter Hong Seung-yeon has the story.

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Chicks are gasping for breath with their beaks wide open, lying flat and limp on the floor.

With daytime temperatures reaching 35°C (95°F), 500 chicks died from the heat at this farm alone yesterday.

Due to the heatwave, this farm had to cut the number of chicks to half of last year's level.

[Poultry Farm Owner: Since they are animals vulnerable to the heat, we keep the ventilation fans, electric fans, and doors all open... but the heat is severe and many die, so bringing in more chicks just means suffering for nothing....]

Another poultry farm nearby.

Even with all cooling facilities running, the temperature far exceeds 24°C (75°F), the optimal raising temperature for chickens.

Electric fans run nonstop to cool down the heat, but the indoor temperature exceeds 33°C (91°F) like this, making you sweat just by standing still.

Even when suffering damage from heatwaves, getting livestock disaster insurance compensation is not easy.

[Lee Jae-shin / Poultry Farm Owner: If it hits 34°C or 35°C for just about 30 minutes, they all get wiped out and die. They only verify that they died due to heatwave damage if the (heatwave warning) lasts for 3 days or more, but what is the point of doing it 3 days after today's deaths? They turn to mush and rot. The insurance is structured unreasonably.]

Livestock farms are also at war with the heat.

They try to cool the heat with cooling fans, but the barn temperature exceeds 34°C (93°F).

Exhausted by the heat, dairy cows refuse to eat feed and sit down drooling.

With reduced appetite from stress, milk production has dropped by over 30%.

[Kim Dong-hoon / Dairy Farmer: They should be eating 1,700 kg, but we have reduced it by 200 kg now. The cattle's intake rate has dropped that much. As a byproduct of that, even the milk yield has decreased now.]

Some 360,000 livestock have died due to this heatwave, and farmers are calling out for active support to minimize farm damages.

(Video Reporter: Kim Min-chul)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.