Egg farmers from Demeter have jointly decided to completely abandon the conventional method of catching and loading hens (grab them by their legs, 2-3 per hand and holding them inverted) and switch to the more humane upright EonA catching method. This is a big step forward in the welfare of tens of thousands of laying hens in the Netherlands ! It concerns the Demeter farmers who produce for packaging-centre “De Grote Kamp” (purchaser of almost all Demeter eggs).
At the end of their “laying career”, laying hens are caught and loaded for transport to the slaughterhouse. Almost all hens around the world are caught in the conventional way, which causes a lot of stress, pain, noise and injury.
In 2020, Rolf and Danielle Kanninga of the Demeter egg farm “Boerveenshof” were the first Demeter farmers to take up the challenge. Together with Eyes on Animals and the Smeding catching team, their laying hens were caught upright in a gentle manner instead of grabbed by their leg and held upside down. Fellow Demeter egg farmer Kees Sijbenga was also there. Rolf and Kees were so impressed by the peace and quiet in the aviary that they immediately decided to always do it that way.
After sharing their experience with the other Dutch Demeter egg farmers, it was jointly decided to catch all Demeter hens in this way from now on. They agreed that the serious improvement to animal welfare more than outweighs the minimal additional cost per egg. Eyes on Animals wants to give the Demeter farmers and De Grote Kamp a big compliment for their decision ! The Demeter eggs are for sale at Ekoplaza, among other natural food supermarket chains.
In addition to Demeter, Eyes on Animals has also convinced Rondeel, Kipster and GIJS egg companies to catch their hens upright. Several egg producers in Germany and England are also seriously interested in the upright catching method. What was once a dream is now a reality: the way hens are caught is shifting! Eyes on Animals is very happy with this success and hopes that many more egg companies will join.
Want to know more about the upright method of catching hens? Check our flyer here >>
