It is the young farmer Lars Losvar who is suing Alta municipality for damages. He lost the cow Demona because no vets were on duty. The Norwegian Farmers’ Association believes that more animal owners may follow suit if the farmer wins. – You feel very helpless. I had hoped she would be fine until the next day, when the vet came. But she didn’t, says farmer Lars Losvar in Alta. When the farmer entered the barn on the evening of 13 September, he immediately noticed that the cow was not fit. Her ears and chest were cold, and according to the farmer, she had clear signs of milk fever, which is a metabolic disease that can occur after childbirth. – When that happens, it is vital to get hold of a vet as soon as possible to get calcium added to the blood, says Losvar. The cow Demona (pictured) died because the vet did not come. Now farmer Lars Losvar is applying to Alta municipality for compensation. Photo: Ine Eftesdøl / news Municipalities without vets on duty In Alta, as in many other municipalities, it is no longer a matter of course to get hold of a vet when you need one. After trying to call the vets dozens of times throughout the night, the farmer had to give up. In the early morning, when the vet was in the car on the way to his barn, the cow gave up and died. Now the farmer will apply to the municipality for compensation. – It was a good cow and her fourth calf, says Losvar. His dairy cow has produced 10,000 liters of milk a year, and a cow like Demona can live for 7-8 years, according to the farmer. When you calculate lost milk production and lost slaughter value, the loss to Losvar is around NOK 90,000. First time? That Losvar demands compensation is quite unique, says veterinarian and president of the Norwegian Veterinary Association, Bjørnar W, Jakobsen. He has not heard of anyone seeking compensation after the veterinary crisis has built up over the past five years. He thinks there could be more cases. According to the law, the municipalities are responsible for having veterinarians available 24 hours a day. But in Alta, the agreement between the municipality and the vets expired on 31 July. Since then, they have not been able to agree on a new fixed agreement. This means that Finnmark’s largest city is without a veterinary guard three evenings and nights a week until 27 October. What happens after that time is unknown. Veterinarians across the country have previously told news that they need free time and a life on the side. The way the scheme has developed, they can no longer push. Unable to solve the crisis Head of community development in Alta municipality, Oddvar Konst, says that they are unable to solve the crisis. There is a shortage of veterinarians throughout Norway and the municipality is unable to get people to stand on duty as it currently works. – The workload is too high for the vets, so the current arrangement will be abolished, says the municipal manager. Municipal leader for community development in Alta municipality, Oddvar Konst, is concerned if the claims for compensation become many. Photo: Rune Berg Previously, the State was responsible, but when the municipalities took over, not enough money came with it, according to Konst. If the municipalities now have to pay compensation to animal owners, the situation will worsen, he believes. – If animals die and the municipalities are burdened with compensation costs, then the state must finance this or take a completely different responsibility, he says. Konst will not say anything about whether the municipality will pay compensation for the dead cow to Losvar. He says that this is unplowed ground for the municipality as well. May be significant for several Deputy Chairman of the Norwegian Farmers’ Association Bodil Fjelltveit believes the outcome of the compensation case may be significant for several. – If the municipality chooses to pay compensation, it could set a precedent for other places in the country. So that is the reason why we will follow this case closely, says Fjelltveit. Deputy chairman of the Norwegian Farmers’ Association, Bodil Fjelltveit, believes the compensation case in Alta should be able to set a precedent Photo: Ine Eftesdøl / news A national working group has been set up, which will look at how the veterinary crisis can be resolved. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food will not comment on individual cases, and refers to this work. They point out that the responsibility currently lies with the municipalities. Farmer Lars Losvar in Alta has only one thing to say about the situation: – This is simply bad animal welfare. Farmer Lars Losvar believes it is hopeless to be an animal owner when you cannot trust the vets to come when the animals are suffering and need help. Photo: Ine Eftesdøl / news
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Seeking compensation after a cow died as a result of a lack of a vet – news Troms and Finnmark
