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Home » Our inspections » farm » Work visit to free-range pig farm at Country Smile, NL

Work visit to free-range pig farm at Country Smile, NL

July 4, 2013

free-range-pigs

Today we went to the Dutch province of Drenthe, where we paid a visit to Hans and Anita Marskamp, who keep free-range pigs. Or rather, as they would say it themselves, look after pigs. It’s a small-scale farm. A number of pigs are bought as piglets and then fattened. Not up to a certain age, but until they have reached a certain weight, between 80 and 100 kg. The pigs are a cross breed of Pietran and Pied Bentheimers. The pigs roam around freely and their bodies are still intact. Problems with tail biting do not occur and there is plenty of space and enrichment. When they are fat enough, they are slaughtered by a local butcher and packed for the customers by the farmer herself. The entire carcass is used, nothing gets wasted.
There is high demand for meat from this farm; customers appreciate the fact that the pigs had a pleasant life. This farm is affiliated with Meat Your Own, a national platform that promotes another way of farming. On their website they write “Working together for honest farming, because meat lovers and farmers know that we must and can do it differently”. A problem for these small-scale farms is that the government does not actively support these initiatives and the costs of, for instance organizations like Varkensrechten and SKAL, are considerable. A shame that government gives subsidies for large “factory” farms and live animal export, but not for such positive initiatives like this farm! Hans and Anita are nevertheless fully committed to their choice to keeping the pigs like this. Beautiful to watch. We thank Country Smile for their hospitality and we wish them success with their pig farm, where the natural behaviour and intelligence of the pig are respected.

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Dear friends,

I first discovered the bad side of factory-farming and industrial slaughter when I was a young girl of twelve.
When I visited a livestock market I saw a pile of sick animals left for dead behind the building. At a huge industrial poultry slaughterhouse, I saw dozens of live chickens walking around the bloody floor…

 

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eyes_on_animals Eyes on Animals @eyes_on_animals ·
2h

📌🐄👎 Opnieuw bewijs van brute mishan­deling van kalfjes onderweg van Ierland naar Nederland. #veetransport #kalveren https://europa.partijvoordedieren.nl/nieuws/opnieuw-bewijs-van-brute-mishandeling-van-kalfjes-onderweg-van-ierland-naar-nederland?s=08

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anjahazekamp Anja Hazekamp @anjahazekamp ·
11h

Kalfjes worden vanuit Ierland in vrachtwagens op 'gewone' veerboten van @StenaLine getransporteerd naar Frankrijk. Na 19 uur op zee (zonder gevoed te worden) gaan de dieren naar een controlepost in de buurt.

We hebben de vrachtwagens gevolgd om de kalfjes te kunnen inspecteren.

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anjahazekamp Anja Hazekamp @anjahazekamp ·
7h

Eén van de 2000 kalfjes tijdens dit hartverscheurende transport.

Na de verplichte stop in Frankrijk gaan de kalfjes terug in de vrachtwagen. Met 300 dieren verspreid over drie verdiepingen. Op naar Nederland.

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