On Friday July 26 Eyes on Animals visited Van Miert poultry slaughterhouse in Breukelen. The temperature at 11am was already 36 degrees Celsius.
During our visit a poultry truck was parked directly in the sun, next to the slaughterhouse for 15 minutes. Even though this might seem like a short time, every minute in the direct sun is one too many. When there is no air flowing through the containers (either through driving or by large industrial fans) temperatures and humidity rise very quickly inside the poultry containers, especially when positioned in the direct sun. We saw birds breathing with an open beak while stretching the neck, a clear sign of heat stress. While we observed the birds, an employee placed a small fan next to the truck. However, this fan was far too small and positioned incorrectly.
Van Miert was not interested in talking to us, just like they weren’t during previous inspections. We sincerely regret this. As we remain committed to our goal of improving the conditions for these birds, we will continue to return to the slaughterhouse. As Van Miert is not currently open to dialogue, we decided to send them our recommendations by post. We hope Van Miert soon will be open to talk to us.
