Each year tens of thousands of Irish calves, exported to Dutch veal farms, are transported via control posts in Couville and Tollevast, Cherbourg. Here the calves have to be fed and rested for 12 hours, as required by Council Regulation 1/2005. Footage taken in March 2023 at Pignet control post in Couville reveals that the treatment of the calves is horrendous. The … [Read more...] about Violence against young calves at Pignet control post
Bad news
Panic and injuries during the loading of hens into transport containers
Eyes on Animals is very concerned about the use of transport-containers for spent hens. In various countries, we have witnessed how spent hens are loaded into these containers. The problems were the same everywhere: the container-drawers are too low and too wide. The hens (which are taller than the drawers) have to be literally pushed and folded into them. Due to the panic … [Read more...] about Panic and injuries during the loading of hens into transport containers
Tomassen Duck-To no interest in improving catching method for ducks
When ducks are taken to slaughter, they are grabbed and lifted by their heads/necks, several at a time and thrown into the drawers of transport-modules. This practice was filmed a few years ago by an undercover employee of the organization ‘Animal Rights’. Eyes on Animals despises the brutal way ducks are caught and loaded, and this cruel practice continues today. We are … [Read more...] about Tomassen Duck-To no interest in improving catching method for ducks
Inadequate stunning with the manual electric stunner ‘Le Rêve’
The manual electric stunner ‘Le Rêve’ does not cause immediate loss of consciousness, without causing pain, as required by Council Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009. The voltage of the stunning device (90V) is far too low, resulting in the mandatory amperage (for head stunning chickens this is 240mA) only to be reached after a few seconds. As a result, the birds are exposed to … [Read more...] about Inadequate stunning with the manual electric stunner ‘Le Rêve’
No concrete improvements by VanDrie and Pali to end illegal calf-import from Ireland
In March 2022 Eyes on Animals (EonA) met with two big importers of unweaned Irish calves (2-3 weeks old): VanDrie Group and Pali Group. EonA initiated this meeting as the import of unweaned calves from Ireland involves serious violations of the Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005. The feeding intervals for calves on this route are not respected, meaning that calves (at this … [Read more...] about No concrete improvements by VanDrie and Pali to end illegal calf-import from Ireland
Eyes on Animals resigns from the Poultry Catching Steering Group
Eyes on Animals has decided to leave the Poultry Catching Steering Group. The industry stakeholders within the steering group (a.o. NVPSB, Nepluvi and LTO) are not committed to switch to a catching and loading method which holds birds in an upright, natural position. Even though scientific studies, the EFSA recommendations and a court decision, all conclude that birds … [Read more...] about Eyes on Animals resigns from the Poultry Catching Steering Group
More and more chicken-catching companies, encouraged by the Dutch Chicken Catching Organization, refuse to catch birds upright
For more than six years we have had a positive time training chicken-catching companies on the gentle upright method of catching poultry and, together with several egg and poultry producers, have been catching the birds upright instead of inverted by the legs. Gentle upright catching was not something that could be put into place at all poultry farms in the Netherlands, as … [Read more...] about More and more chicken-catching companies, encouraged by the Dutch Chicken Catching Organization, refuse to catch birds upright
Laying hens from Rondeel this time caught by the legs and held upside down
Despite Rondeel having been the first egg company to switch to the gentle upright method of catching hens in 2017, this time none of the birds were caught upright. The reason being that the large chicken-catching companies, such as Den Ouden in this case, refuse. They have been pressured by the umbrella poultry organization to no longer catch any birds in the Netherlands … [Read more...] about Laying hens from Rondeel this time caught by the legs and held upside down
Hens from “Eike” sadly continued to be caught upside down by the legs
Early 2021 Smits - source of energy, the producer of Eike eggs which are sold at Sligro, had informed us that they would like to have their spent laying hens caught upright. This involved a total of 40,000 chickens. These hens were to be caught and loaded mid-2022, supervised by a team from Eyes on Animals. Unfortunately, Eike informed us that they … [Read more...] about Hens from “Eike” sadly continued to be caught upside down by the legs
Newly released EonA/EFI report show 2 – 4 week old Irish calves in transit for 50 hours and only fed once
Eyes on Animals, Ethical Farming Ireland and MEP Anja Hazekamp recently undertook an investigation into unweaned calf export from Ireland to the mainland (the Netherlands followed by Spain being the biggest importers of unweaned calves from Ireland). We focused on the first stage of the journey for the calves when they leave the farm in Ireland and head to … [Read more...] about Newly released EonA/EFI report show 2 – 4 week old Irish calves in transit for 50 hours and only fed once
