Barn went up in smoke and lost 200 round bales Coldiretti: “We help the Rivarolo company”

The fire hit the Merlo farm in Argentera Many have already accepted the invitation and donated some supplies

Rivarolo Canavese

In a moment of fragility like the present one, in which the increases are being felt with arrogance and the resources to feed the animals are scarce, the fire that struck the Vittorino Merlo farmhouse in the Argentera hamlet in Rivarolo on the first morning of Wednesday represents a heavy blow to the world of breeding.

The flames broke out around 8 in the morning and five fire brigade teams were needed to be able to stop the huge fire that ensued, which led to the loss of about 200 round bales of hay, essential to feed the 150 head of Dairy Friesian cows that have all been rescued. Probably the fire was caused by an episode of self-combustion, as had happened in mid-August in Castellamonte, in the hamlet of San Giovanni, where a woodshed had burned down or as had happened last year at the Mellano di Rivarolo farm and at the of the Tomasi Cont brothers in Castellamonte. High temperatures and drought this summer are among the probable causes behind these disastrous episodes.

The support of Coldiretti Torino also promptly arrived, which immediately launched an appeal for solidarity between farmers after the fire destroyed an entire shed used as a barn and haystack.

According to Coldiretti, although the cattle are safe, a disaster of this proportions brings to its knees any farm already experienced by the shortage of food and bedding for animals. For months, in fact, not only hay, corn and straw have reached impossible prices, but it is increasingly difficult to find them on the market due to the drought that has knocked down the production of fields and meadows. For this same reason, the farms find themselves with reduced stocks, as if they were one year after the mowings instead of at the height of the agricultural year, with a dramatic uncertainty about supplies for the next few months.

«In a year like this – underlines the president of Coldiretti Torino Bruno Mecca Cici, also a breeder in Leinì -, a fire that destroys the food stocks of animals can put a company out of business. This is why we trust in the solidarity between farmers and invite them to donate some of their stocks of hay and straw to allow our unfortunate colleague to overcome an emergency that could happen to all of us ».

Immediately after the fire, Coldiretti Turin activated with its local sections for the logistics and storage of hay and straw that could be donated by the farmers to the farm. In the following hours, the first aid arrived from colleagues in the area, as confirmed by the president of the Coldiretti Argentera section Tiziana Merlo: «Many have already contributed to helping Vittorino Merlo with part of their supplies of hay and straw for the animals. We hope that solidarity will continue because in a very short time a great result has already been achieved ». –