OUR TASKFORCE

Eyes on Animals is an organization whose mission is to reduce as much animal suffering as possible.  In order to do so effectively, we see it as very beneficial to share our results, reports, scientific knowledge, experience, and future ideas with down-to-earth inspectors working in the field for organizations in other countries.  This is why Eyes on Animals started a TASKFORCE made up of these international inspectors. There is no need to re-invent the wheel or fight a losing battle; by pooling our resources and learning from one another the animals have a stronger and more professional "team" watching out over them.

The EonA TASKFORCE cover issues more thoroughly and broadly. The international inspectors discuss not only animal welfare problems but also solutions that worked in their country so that the other countries can adopt them more quickly.
Once a year we meet in person, and in between stay in contact via email.  Every year we work on 3 goals together.  In 2010 the focus will be on:

1. improving the welfare of small animals on intensive farms in our countries.
2. phasing out of the electric water baths for poultry in our countries (which the Netherlands is already busy doing).
3. phasing out of piglet castration in our countries (which more and more Dutch  and German farmers are already doing). See our common letter sent out to 21 Canadian supermarket chains and 88 federally inspected Canadian pig slaughterhouses urging them to stop castration now too. Read an article published in the Canadian newspaper "The Manitoba Co-operator" in reaction to our letter. We were not very impressed with this article as many facts were not true and they belittled the idea of ending pig castration. So Eyes on Animals photocopied it and sent it to Dutch pig industry people we know, and asked them to write a letter to the Canadian editor to set some things straight. Many did, and two of their fantastic "letters to the editor" were published in the Canadian newspaper.

Individual inspectors from the following organizations are actively part of the TASKFORCE:

Austria: Vier Pfoten (www.vierpfoten.at)

France: L214 (www.l214.com)

Canada: CETFA (www.cetfa.com) and CCFA (www.humanefood.ca)

The Netherlands: Varkens in Nood (www.varkensinnood.nl)

There are also several journalists and official veterinarians that are kept up-to-date of our TASKFORCE discussions and join in. We have had journalists from Canada document our taskforce meeting and efforts in 2009 and a Danish journalist documenting our efforts to help phase out pig castration in the Netherlands. 

Eyes on Animals being interviewed by Danish television
about the efforts and successes made in the Netherlands
to end pig castration and the need for Denmark to follow suit.


Canadian national TV joins the international taskforce
inspectors to visit a Dutch pig farm that has stopped
castrating their male piglets and that promotes group
sow housing instead of sow stalls. To watch the documentary
aired on in Canada on July 28 2010 click here.

 
Canadian, French and Austrian taskforce inspectors during
our last meeting. Here we visited a Dutch slaughterhouse that played
an important role in stopping the castration of piglets. 
In 2007 they started accepting intact boars and can test the boar meat
at the plant for any residue of boar taint.
This has allowed many Dutch farmers to stop castrating their
male piglets. The taskforce hopes to spread this info to
our other countries to quickly end pig castration also
abroad as soon as possible.