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The June Heatwave Killed Up To 3 Million Broiler Chickens In France Alone
The late June heatwave that has been linked to at least 1,300 deaths across Europe also killed up to three million broiler chickens in France alone. Animal agriculture is now considered the leading cause of climate change, but farmed animals themselves remain uniquely vulnerable to extreme weather, including heatwaves, droughts, and wildfires, which continue to grip the region. Read more: Animal Agriculture Is Responsible For The UK’s 40C Heatwave According to Le Monde, the June heatwave killed from 2.5 to three million broiler chickens in France, with many of the affected animals concentrated in the Brittany region. In the wake of this “massacre,” animal welfare organization Welfarm called for a “profound transformation of breeding practices and animal transport conditions.” Last year, Compassion in World Farming (CiWF) published a report on how extreme weather can harm farmed animals. According to the report, heat stress can cause breathing and heart issues, dehydration, weakened immune systems, and death. France, Spain, and Poland are the EU’s biggest producers of poultry, together farming around 2.6 billion birds per year. All three countries were hit by the June heatwave, which reportedly also caused harm to cows, pigs, and other farmed animals. Three out of four news...
