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Thousands of cows in France regularly ingest residue from tires used to ballast forage piles. An agreement is signed this Monday, July 15 between professionals in the sector and the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
It is called the Hardware Store Disease. By grazing the grass and eating hay or corn, the cows ingest a whole bunch of scrap metal - nails, pieces of barbed wire or cans - but also used scrap tires used to hold the tarpaulins wrapped around the fodder. With the sun, the rain, and the weather, these tires decompose, and release rubber particles and steel wires.
These foreign bodies can affect the health of ruminants. In France, 60 000 cattle are victims each year of tumors and infections related to the accumulation of waste in their stomachs. The phenomenon, which causes losses for farmers, could also have an impact on the health of consumers. Not to mention the harm to animal welfare. Breeders sometimes introduce a magnet into the belly of cattle to attract scrap.
" The farmer must change his method, but he agrees very well, " said Jacky Bonnemains, spokesperson for the Robins des bois association, which denounced the scandal of "cows cans" last February. Because tires are mosquito houses, but also sources of fire spread and air pollution. " It's more of a burden than a benefit, " says Jacky Bonnemains.
800,000 tons of tires in the fields
The agreement signed Monday between industry professionals and the Ministry of Ecological Transition provides that tire manufacturers recover at their expense. The operation, named "Ensivalor" will be reserved in priority to the operators ceasing their activity then to those opting for another technique.
It is an extension of Recyvalor which, for ten years, has helped to reduce the mountains of abandoned tires on French territory, excluding livestock. Some 7.2 million tires were reportedly removed between 2008 and 2017, the association reported in its 2017 activity report.
This new operation should allow 15,000 tonnes of used tires to be removed from farms each year. But according to a 2006 study, French fields would contain 800 000 tonnes. The task promises to be titanic and could last several decades.