Today, we had the honor of being the first to present at a major conference in Hannover for German veterinarians and slaughterhouse inspectors! Our presentation focused on an important yet often overlooked topic: the catching and loading of poultry for transport. We shared our findings on how the design of transport crates and containers affects the risk of catching injuries, our international upright-catching project, the NVWA’s enforcement policies on catching injuries, and the risk of “compassion fatigue”. This is a form of emotional exhaustion caused by constant exposure to suffering, which can also affect chicken-catchers. The combination of ongoing exposure to animal suffering, high work pressure, night shifts, and low wages creates serious risks. We received a lot of positive feedback and hope to have inspired the attending veterinarians and inspectors!
There were also several other highly relevant presentations, such as the importance of developing mandatory technical evaluations of stunning equipment (for example, by a TÜV), since ineffective and unsafe stunning equipment is unfortunately still being sold and used, even cheaply on websites, causing significant welfare issues. Additionally, the importance of e-learning programs for veterinarians and their assistants, particularly those working in slaughterhouses, was highlighted.
We made many valuable new contacts that will help us work together to take animal welfare to the next level. A big thank you to LAG and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Hannover for the excellent organization and invitation. What an inspiring day!
