Sheep farmers and authorities in Iceland are baffled by a mysterious mass death of sheep this spring. The cause of death looks like malnourishment as sheep lose weight before dying, despite being fed generously. Thousands of sheep are known to have died, but it is feared the problem is far larger, as these deaths are most likely underreported.
According to reports the deaths seem have taken place all around Iceland, although they are primarily concentrated in Borgarfjörður area in Western Iceland, Eyjafjörður fjord in Northern Iceland and in Eastern Iceland.
Farmers, feeling shame, have remained silent
In early January farmers started noticing that their sheep did not look healthy, appearing underfed, even when they had been offered more than enough feed. Feeding the animals high-nutrition feed, and even fish-liver oil, did nothing to help. By spring a large number of the sheep were extremely weak, and many ewes did not survive giving birth to their lambs, in other cases ewes have not milked properly after giving birth, leaving lambs orphaned or dependent on bottle feeding.
It is only now that the problem is coming to light. The reason, Þórarinn Ingi Pétursson, the chairman of the Icelandic Sheep Farmers Association tells the National Broadcasting Service (RÚV), is that farmers have kept silent:
There is considerable shame attached to having sheep who look like they are poorly fed. Even when a farmer has done everything in his power to [feed his sheep]. Farmers will not go around announcing publicly that they have lot so and so many sheep. People simply don’t want to talk about these things.
The Sheep Farmers Association urges farmers to contact them with information, offering full confidentiality and anonymity.
Volcanic eruption to blame?
The causes of the mass deaths remain a mystery, but research is underway, as The Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority has received an exemption from the ongoing veterinarians' strike to launch a study of the mysterious deaths.
Margrét Katrín Guðnadóttir, a veterinarian who spoke to the RÚV, said it is unlikely the deaths could be explained by either poor weather this spring or low quality feed. Communicable deceases are similarly an unlikely explanation. Instead she suspects the deaths are caused by pollution, most likely from the volcanic eruption in Holuhraun, north of Vatnajökull, in the central highlands this winter.
Both livestock and people were killed during the Móðuharðindin famine, and people blamed the deaths on polluted fumes and poisoned grasses.
Reminiscent of the greatest natural catastrophe in Icelandic history
Aðalsteinn Jónsson, a sheep farmer in Jökuldalur valley in Eastern Iceland, close to the eruption, similarly believes the sheep are being killed by the volcano. Aðalsteinn points out in an interview with RÚV that this would not be the first time livestock is poisoned by a volcanic eruption.
Both livestock and people were killed during the Móðuharðindin famine, and people blamed the deaths on polluted fumes and poisoned grasses.
Read more: Harmful gases emitted at Holuhraun lava field stirs up memories of 18th century Laki eruption
The Móðuharðindin famine (1783-1785) were caused by an eruption west of Vatnajökull, which formed the Lakagígar volcano. The eruption in Holuhraun and Lakagígar have several features in common, including a high concentration of sulfur-dioxide in the volcanic fumes.
It has been estimated that the eruption in Lakagígar killed 75% of all livestock in Iceland and 20% of the population died in the famine which followed. Climatologists and historians have speculated that the eruption caused poor harvests throughout Europe in the summer of 1783, contributing to the social instability which ultimately led to the French Revolution.
Sheep farmers and authorities in Iceland are baffled by a mysterious mass death of sheep this spring. The cause of death looks like malnourishment as sheep lose weight before dying, despite being fed generously. Thousands of sheep are known to have died, but it is feared the problem is far larger, as these deaths are most likely underreported.
According to reports the deaths seem have taken place all around Iceland, although they are primarily concentrated in Borgarfjörður area in Western Iceland, Eyjafjörður fjord in Northern Iceland and in Eastern Iceland.
Farmers, feeling shame, have remained silent
In early January farmers started noticing that their sheep did not look healthy, appearing underfed, even when they had been offered more than enough feed. Feeding the animals high-nutrition feed, and even fish-liver oil, did nothing to help. By spring a large number of the sheep were extremely weak, and many ewes did not survive giving birth to their lambs, in other cases ewes have not milked properly after giving birth, leaving lambs orphaned or dependent on bottle feeding.
It is only now that the problem is coming to light. The reason, Þórarinn Ingi Pétursson, the chairman of the Icelandic Sheep Farmers Association tells the National Broadcasting Service (RÚV), is that farmers have kept silent:
There is considerable shame attached to having sheep who look like they are poorly fed. Even when a farmer has done everything in his power to [feed his sheep]. Farmers will not go around announcing publicly that they have lot so and so many sheep. People simply don’t want to talk about these things.
The Sheep Farmers Association urges farmers to contact them with information, offering full confidentiality and anonymity.
Volcanic eruption to blame?
The causes of the mass deaths remain a mystery, but research is underway, as The Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority has received an exemption from the ongoing veterinarians' strike to launch a study of the mysterious deaths.
Margrét Katrín Guðnadóttir, a veterinarian who spoke to the RÚV, said it is unlikely the deaths could be explained by either poor weather this spring or low quality feed. Communicable deceases are similarly an unlikely explanation. Instead she suspects the deaths are caused by pollution, most likely from the volcanic eruption in Holuhraun, north of Vatnajökull, in the central highlands this winter.
Both livestock and people were killed during the Móðuharðindin famine, and people blamed the deaths on polluted fumes and poisoned grasses.
Reminiscent of the greatest natural catastrophe in Icelandic history
Aðalsteinn Jónsson, a sheep farmer in Jökuldalur valley in Eastern Iceland, close to the eruption, similarly believes the sheep are being killed by the volcano. Aðalsteinn points out in an interview with RÚV that this would not be the first time livestock is poisoned by a volcanic eruption.
Both livestock and people were killed during the Móðuharðindin famine, and people blamed the deaths on polluted fumes and poisoned grasses.
Read more: Harmful gases emitted at Holuhraun lava field stirs up memories of 18th century Laki eruption
The Móðuharðindin famine (1783-1785) were caused by an eruption west of Vatnajökull, which formed the Lakagígar volcano. The eruption in Holuhraun and Lakagígar have several features in common, including a high concentration of sulfur-dioxide in the volcanic fumes.
It has been estimated that the eruption in Lakagígar killed 75% of all livestock in Iceland and 20% of the population died in the famine which followed. Climatologists and historians have speculated that the eruption caused poor harvests throughout Europe in the summer of 1783, contributing to the social instability which ultimately led to the French Revolution.
