How Japan's farmers are keeping cows cool in record heat

How Japan's farmers are keeping cows cool in record heat

In July, the city of Sano in Tochigi prefecture saw Japan's highest recorded temperature of the year, when the thermometer hit 41C (106F).

For Yuki Tamura, a cattle breeder based in nearby Tochigi City, the rising temperatures pose a serious problem.

Tamura Farm, the Tamuras' family business, employs a range of methods to keep their cows cool. The cowsheds are equipped with fans and nozzles that spray mist to keep the animals' temperature down, and they use ice packs called "Moo-to kuuru" in Japanese (a pun on the Japanese word for more, "motto," and the sound cows make) to directly cool the cows' necks.

The heat also impacts the farm's breeding business, Tamura said, as temperature-induced heat stress contributes to a larger number of miscarriages and stillborn calves.

Japan experienced record-breaking heat throughout this summer. The heatwave in late July saw authorities in 39 of the country's 47 prefectures declare health warnings in the face of temperatures exceeding 37C (99 F).

REUTERS VIDEO

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