Dear donors and friends,
Within one year we accomplished that numerous slaughterhouses took measures to reduce heat- stress for the pigs waiting in line to be unloaded from the trucks; large mobile fans were purchased, parking areas with shade were created and arrival times were changed to earlier in the day, when temperatures are cooler. Some steps forward, but still these measures are not enough for the animals.
During our inspections over the past few weeks we again noticed many pigs panting, gasping for fresh air and fighting for a spot near the fan. More significant measures are therefore required. > Watch our inspection footage here
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The most serious problem is trucks, fully loaded with animals, having to wait in the burning sun outside the slaughterhouses for hours. During this time the temperature in the trucks increase rapidly.
One pig, with an abdominal hernia, was in immediate danger; she was trembling all over, was pale and turning purple. Due to our intervention, this pig was unloaded immediately to cool down and rest.
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Together with the Dierenbescherming (Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals) we published a plan of action to structurally reduce animal suffering during transport on hot days. Measures include a hot-weather plan (arrival times at night instead of during the daytime) and larger lairages in the slaughterhouses so there is always room inside to unload the animals immediately instead of leaving them to wait on board stationnary trucks.
This past month Eyes on Animals discussed these new proposed measures with the Ministry of Agriculture, the NVWA (the Dutch food and consumer product safety authority) and the Dierenbescherming. Decisions about which measures will be put in place will be taken soon.
We also generated a lot of media attention around this subject. The Dutch TV-news show Hart van Nederland joined us for a day of inspections and exposed how much the animals suffer during the extreme heat. > Watch the item here
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The NOS journaal (Dutch daily TV news), Omroep Brabant (local Dutch radio channel), Brabants Dagblad (local Dutch newspaper) and Pigbusiness (Dutch pig-trade journal) also published items about this important issue and interviewed Eyes on Animals.
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Thanks to our inspections revealing the situation on the ground, animal suffering caused by heat stress is finally being talked about by the meat-industry, politicians, veterinarian authorities and the media. There is still lots to do, and we are not giving up. We are committed to this. Thank you for your support!
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