Excerpt
Sinister truth behind images of dead cows piling up in California
A dystopian scene is emerging in California as dairy farmers battle a ruthless disease.
Dead cows and calves stacked along roadsides rotting in the heat surrounded by crows, vultures and thick swarms of black flies.
After wiping out tens of millions of birds worldwide, the H5N1 avian flu is tearing through dairy farms in the US.
A total of 124 herds have been affected in California alone, in addition to nearly 200 herds spanning 13 other states including Colorado, Idaho and Michigan.
Some fallen cattle are being intentionally left on the roadside to reduce the chance of the virus spreading on farms.
There are growing concerns that it could have a knock-on effect on milk production and pricing.
Eggs have already been hit by shortages and price gouging after the arrival of bird flu in chickens.
Jimmy Andreoli II, spokesman for the Southern California Rendering company Baker Commodities, told the LA Times: 'There's definitely been an increased number of fallen animals lately, and some of that has got to be attributed to the long, hot summer we've had.
'And some of it, you know, certainly is attributed to the H5N1 virus,'
One of his drivers picked up 20 to 30 animals at one farm in one day, he added.
Infected carcasses are being brought to a rendering site - a facility that processes animal remains - to be turned into 'high protein' animal feed and fertilizer, or liquids used into used in fuels, paints, varnishes, lubricants and other industrial products.
Removing and processing these carcasses eliminates the risk of them passing bird flu onto other animals or humans.
California is the nation's largest dairy producer, and this state currently holds the record for the most bird flu-infected cattle herds in a single state, in addition to a high number of cases among dairy workers.
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