Sound of the Year Awards
In an industrial milk farm, the cows are being dehorned, in order to facilitate the work of the humans around them. In this case, around 20 calves are trapped, put under sedative and dehorned directly after. We are listening to one of them, after the process, having trouble to breath and calling the others.
Violence can be so silent. Having a close recording this calf not being able to breath makes the situation of the milk industry very hard to listen to. The farm I was recording in France is supposed to be exemplary regarding animal treatment. Still, this dehorning technics is happening every day, because of animal confinement and for humans to work in safer conditions, in order to provide constant production of milk with the 350 cows around. In this recording, you hear the stillness, how peaceful and quiet the rest of the place is, with the distant birds and chatting. But still, this calf is suffering, and no-one hears it.
This sound had the sad pleasure to win the category of the most unpleasant sound of the year 2022 :
https://www.soundoftheyearawards.com/2022
