Heat wave kills 'just' 20,000 chickens
Farmers report damage to 10,000 dunams of apple orchards.
By Amiram CohenAbout 20,000 chickens have died from the latest extreme heat in northern Israel, beyond the hundreds of thousands that died in the last heat wave two weeks ago.
The reason less battery hens died this time around is that the poultry farmers improved the cooling systems in chicken coops, according to Kanat, the Insurance Fund for Natural Risks in Agriculture.
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A chicken farmer holding dead fowl on Moshav Safsufa. |
| Photo by: Yaron Kaminsky |
Not only fowl farmers have been affected. People and even fowls may seek relief from the intense heat with air conditioners, but what's a tree to do?
Apple growers reported that 10,000 dunams of orchards were damaged in the northern regions of the Galilee and Golan, where most of the nation's apples are grown. The affected area comprises about 20% of all Israel's apple production.
Because of the intense heat, the red apple varieties - the Jonathan and the Starking - are not developing their usual color, but are staying pink. Other varieties such as the Golden Delicious are also failing to develop their usual hues.
But the worst problem, says Haim Hod, an apple farmer from the Metulla area, is that the fruit is not ripening evenly. The interior of the apple is ripening first while the external part, the skin and the layer right beneath it, remain unripe. The uneven maturation means the fruit cannot be picked when "just right" and stored in refrigeration for long periods of time. The apples have to be sold much sooner than planned, which means a glut and bargain prices in the short-term, and a shortage down the line.
The losses to apple farmers may amount to millions of shekels, Hod estimates.
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The oil spills, hurricanes, floods, mudslides, and the global heat wave (which have been the cause of many fires, toxic smoke, and deaths) have many searching for answers. The internet is buzzing with articles and excellent blogs. But could it be simply the biblical sequence of God's wrath being poured out upon the earth which is relevant to current events in today's world. What if we are dealing with the wrath of God? Please understand the wrath of God is letting man slip deeper and deeper into the consequences of his own sin. Please visit my website at http://www.revelation-truth.org . Rev. Daniel W. Blair author of the book Final Warning
It is time for Jews to play leadership roles in responding to climate change. All too many Jews are in denial at a time when it is becoming increasingly clear that the world is rapidly approaching an unprecedented climate catastrophe. We have been getting many wake-up calls this summer in terms of record heat waves in Israel and many other countries, severe floods in pakistan, China and parts of the US, widespread wild fires and more. With a strong consensus of climate scientists agreeing that climate change is a reality, a threat and is largely caused by human activities, Israel should play a role as a "light unto the nations," and lead efforts to effectively respond.