Beerten Slaughterhouse in Zieuwent, where mainly piglets are slaughtered, has closed it’s doors. The main reason for this decision is due to the stricter monitoring and enforcement by NVWA and rising energy costs.
Eyes on Animals visited Beerten at the end of 2019 and noted several malpractices. Piglets were not stunned and bled adequately. We also saw piglets that in our opinion should not have been approved for transportation. Beerten however refused to implement any improvements after our recommendations. After several failed attempts to contact Beerten and considering the severity of the mailpractices we contacted the official authorities (NVWA). The NVWA visited Beerten and several measures were imposed. This was followed by permanent supervision at the slaughterhouse by a NVWA vet. This was not the first time animal welfare issues were noted. In 2017 NRC newspaperpublished an article about animal welfare malpractices at Dutch slaughterhouses, one of which was Beerten.
The stricter monitoring, mandatory measures and higher energy costs led Beerten to quit. Although it is sad for a family business to have to close its doors, and there is one less “small” slaughterhouse (causing transport distances to possibly increase) we are glad that Beerten made their decision. In 2023 there is no room for slaughterhouses that don’t take animal welfare seriously.
