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Tolima farmers warn of animal-feed shortages as wildfires kill cattle
🇨🇴 Colombia /Disasters & Emergencies

Tolima farmers warn of animal-feed shortages as wildfires kill cattle

From El Tiempo · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Explainer Named sources Ongoing story
  • Colombia had six active wildfires, one controlled fire and three departments under monitoring as of Aug. 31, according to the UNGRD.
  • In Tolima, farmers report 619 cattle have died and 18,024 more need urgent attention because fires and drought have reduced available pasture.
  • Fedegán estimates that feeding 18,000 animals for 30 days would cost 6.2 billion pesos, excluding logistics.

In Tolima, cattle are becoming sick and dying after wildfires and a lack of rain destroyed much of the pasture farmers rely on for feed. Residents of the Santa Lucía and Primavera rural districts in San Luis are asking authorities for urgent help.

Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management reported six active wildfires, one controlled fire and three departments under monitoring as of Aug. 31. Tolima ranks among the areas most affected, with farmers warning that the shortage of grass is threatening both their animals and their livelihoods.

The pasture for our cattle all burned. We hope the government and the public will help us. We need feed for the cattle.

— Miryam RuedaA farmer in Tolima described the shortage facing local cattle producers.

A Fedegán assessment recorded impacts in 22 municipalities, including 400,000 hectares burned, 1,125 cattle farms affected and 1,295 cattle producers impacted. It also reported 619 dead animals and 18,024 cattle requiring priority assistance because of the lack of food.

The main impacts are concentrated in the five main municipalities where aid has been directed: San Luis, Ortega, Valle de San Juan, Coello and Guamo.

— Carlos Gustavo SilvaThe Tolima cattlemen’s official identified the areas bearing the greatest damage.

Carlos Gustavo Silva, manager of the Tolima Cattlemen’s Committee, said the main damage was concentrated in San Luis, Ortega, Valle de San Juan, Coello and Guamo, where aid has been directed. Miryam Rueda, one of the affected farmers, said, “All the pasture for our cattle burned. We hope the government and the public will help us. We need feed for the cattle.”

The University of Tolima, Agrosavia, the Tolima government and other institutions are working to establish final damage figures for presentation to the Agriculture Ministry. Silva estimated that feeding 18,000 animals for 30 days with rice straw or hay would cost 6.2 billion pesos, excluding trucks and labor. Farmers say announced aid must arrive quickly because more cattle remain at risk.

We calculated that feeding 18,000 animals for 30 days with rice straw or hay would cost 6.2 billion pesos. That is only the cost of the feed, without logistics.

— Carlos Gustavo SilvaHe estimated the cost of emergency animal feed.
About this summary

Originally published by El Tiempo in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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