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Today we received news from Vion pig slaughterhouse in Groenlo: they finally took our suggestion into consideration and adapted the stable they use for pigs arriving in a fragile condition.Fragile/suspect pigs are considered legally fit enough to be transported for slaughter but according to Dutch rules have to be slaughtered separately at the end of the day, in order not to risk contamination of the slaughter line. In most pig slaughterhouses, they are left in pens with cold and bare concrete flooring.
During a previous visit at this slaughter house, EonA noticed that one of the two stables for fragile pigs was drafty and noisy as it was right beside the stunning chute, and both did not provide any insulating warm material on the floor- just cold concrete with a light layer of sawdust. Not the right place for animals that have to wait a whole day and are feeling unwell. Vion Groenlo is no longer using this stable and has improved the other one, which is further away from the noise. They have bought rubber mats (often used in dairy parlours) and placed them on the floor, covered in sawdust, so the pigs now have a warmer and softer area to lie on.
Eyes on Animals congratulates Vion Groenlo for taking this step in the right direction. Unfortunately, Vion Groenlo was not willing to go all the way with our original suggestion, which was to install floor heating.Previously, at our request, Vion Groenlo also placed rubber-knobs on their gates to reduce the stressful noise created by metal banging against metal, which startles and frightens animals. We thank Vion Groenlo for their willingness to implement our recommendations for improving animal welfare. |
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