Among the civilized world, many people are feeling excited by the many possible applications of 5G wireless technology, and how it proposes to make our lives easier and better. From numerous automated smart devices that are designed to fill up our houses and act as tiny robotic servants (including smart ovens, doorbells, thermostats and even beds!), to the wider societal applications of self-driving vehicles and augmented and virtual reality, companies and creative individuals are all jumping into the game with ideas of their own on how they can take advantage of 5G services to create and profit from new types of technology.

An unusual and unlikely application is being explored at large scale dairy cow farms. Apparently, dairy cow farmers are having a difficult time keeping up with the many daily tasks and needs of the herd, including timely milking and feeding, and monitoring the health of each individual cow for signs of disease.

A herd of dairy cows in England have been volunteered to be an experiment in how 5G connectivity can change the daily operations of a farm. Each cow wears a 5G-connected collar, which interacts with an automated robotic milking system. When the cow feels the pressure of milk building up, they can enter machine gates that automatically open for them, and the automated milking device, which recognizes each individual cow, will latch on and milk the cow as the cow munches on food as a reward.

Each cow also wears a 5G-enabled ear tag that monitors their health, and can instantly transmit signs of distress. Among other technologies the farm is experimenting with are “automated brushes that rotate when the cow rubs up against them, sensor-operated curtains that open depending on the weather, and a smart feeding system that automatically delivers food in the barn via ceiling-mounted rails.”

The herd is a total of 180 cows, but only 50 of them are fitted with these smart devices. We would be very curious to see how the health of these 50 cows, in the short and long term, compares with the other 130 that are not wearing these wireless radiation emitting devices.

However, due to the narrowly focused goals that these types of experiments are done for (and fervent and pervasive belief that 5G can only be a good thing), it’s extremely unlikely that any negative health effects on the cows exposed to the radiation will be reported, or even recorded.  

Dairy cows are vulnerable to negative effects from wireless radiation

Just like all biological life, the bodies and brains of dairy cows (and all mammals) have finely tuned, sensitive bio-electrical fields that control and direct every aspect of their body functions. Therefore, just like all biological life, they are sensitive to and affected by external electromagnetic fields. There have also been studies specifically on the effects of EMFs on cows and their calves.

One study showed that calves that are in close proximity to mobile phone base stations during gestation, especially in the first trimester, are significantly more likely to develop cataracts. 32% of the calves developed cataracts, and 3.6% of them were severe. Another study showed that calves born near a mobile phone base station had a 3.5 times higher risk for heavy cataracts, compared with the Swiss average. This was found to be due to oxidative stress, and there was an association between oxidative stress and the distance to the nearest cell phone mast.  

Blushield testing shows that dairy cows benefit from EMF protection

Several years back, when EMF levels were considerably lower than they are now, but still present in the environment even in rural areas, Blushield did some tests on dairy cows specifically. A Blushield device was plugged into the dairy barn for lengths of time, and then removed for other lengths of time, for the purpose of testing the effects that having EMF protection would have on the milk of the cows. The entire herd was monitored for several months.

When milk is received at a dairy processing plant, it is always tested for something called somatic cell count. This refers to the number of white blood cells in the milk, which can show whether a cow is healthy, or having biological stress (from injury or disease) that’s causing a strong immune reaction. Somatic cells, or white blood cells, are what the immune system produces to deal with stress and fight invaders like viruses and bacteria.

All milk contains some amount of somatic cells, as white blood cells will always be present even in a healthy cow, for health maintenance on a daily basis. However, when you see elevated levels, this can indicate sickness or injury.

The results of Blushield’s somatic cell count tests were significant, and consistent. With the Blushield plugged in, the somatic cell counts recorded were consistently about one-third of what they were with no Blushield present! Cows (and other animals) are not affected by psychosomatic factors, unlike humans, whose beliefs can influence their outcomes. This is one reason animal studies are so powerful.

You can read more about Blushield’s tests on dairy cow somatic cell counts here.  

Conclusion

The human obsession with progress at any cost, and the common human flaw of having tunnel vision (not seeing the big picture full effect of one action), often backfires. It may be that wanting so badly to automate the systems at these dairy farms, and monitor their health down to exacting detail in real time, could negatively affect their health and milk production! It’s likely that increasing wireless connectivity is going to have a strong effect on the somatic cell count of the milk of these dairy cows, creating long term health issues in the cows and decreasing the milk quality for dairy consumers.

It’s time that these companies who are so fixated on innovation and progress consider the full implications of their products. As they experiment with these new types of systems, it would be easy for them to test the health effects of the increased radiation exposure as an integrated part of their experiment.

Blushield EMF protection is a great addition to any small or large scale farming operation, as our initial tests with dairy cows and egg-laying chickens have demonstrated. It can significantly increase the well being and quality of life of the animals, as well as increase the quality and quantity of the farm’s production. Animals are often sensitive, and react very quickly, to the presence of a Blushield, as they are purely instinctive in their responses to environmental changes. It’s important that we do everything we can to protect animals (as well as plants and insects) from harmful EMFs, as they are innocent bystanders to humanity’s wireless experiments.  

References:

“5G-connected cows test milking parlor of the future” – https://www.reuters.com/article/us-telecoms-5g-cows/5g-connected-cows-test-milking-parlor-of-the-future-idUSKCN1RN1IY

“Radiofrequency EMFs and Health Risks Section 6: Animals, Birds, Insects and Plants” – https://www.powerwatch.org.uk/library/downloads/rf-emfs-6-animals-2018-11.pdf

Blushield’s Dairy Cow Somatic Cell Count Tests – https://www.blushield.com/testing/dairy-cow-tests/?v=3e8d115eb4b3