farm

On Friday while driving on the A2 in the Netherlands, an EonA inspector got stuck in major traffic. The highway was closed due to a massive fire that broke out on a pig factory located right beside the highway. Due to asbestos being released in the air, no one was allowed to get close. The following day Eyes on Animals visited the premise. We heard that 1300 … [Read more...] about Witness of a pig barn fire

Eyes on Animals inspectors visited an organic "egg"  farm today. The purpose was to discuss with the farmer what welfare concerns he had for the way chickens are caught, loaded and transported to slaughter. At the moment, hens and broilers raised on organic farms are still caught and transported in the same manner as hens and broilers raised in the conventional … [Read more...] about Visit of an organic egg farm in the Netherlands

A while back Eyes on Animals paid a visit to a group-housing pig farm Den Elshorst. The owner of this small-scale facility is trying to make a living trough combining farming with tourism. The young farmer has worked with pigs his whole life and hopes his children will, one day, take over his small-scale pig farm. Having spent time working out the facts and figures this … [Read more...] about Visit at den Elshorst free-range pig farm , NL

An anonymous complaint came in over our website concerning a pig farm where there was a concern about the welfare of the animals (left in dark conditions, in small metal crates). As with all of the complaints we receive, we try to investigate them and find a solution together with the person in question. If we don´t have any luck or are not received in a welcoming way, we … [Read more...] about Inspection of a pig farm

Today Eyes on Animals visited a dairy farm in the province Limburg. This family business houses 150 milk cows (Holsteins) and 135 calves. Annually, each milk cow gives approximately 9000 litres of milk. At the age of 14 months, the cows are inseminated for the first time. The cows are thus two years old when they give birth to their first calf. The calf is allowed to stay … [Read more...] about Visit of a standard dairy farm in Limburg, the Netherlands

Today Eyes on Animals visited a Demeter dairy farm in Achterveld, The Netherlands. This farm is participating in the Louis Bolks´and Wageningen UR Livestock Researchs´ project "Familiekudde" (Family herd). This is a new dairy farm management system whereby the calves are kept with their mothers. For more information about this research project, you can read the report … [Read more...] about Visit of a Demeter dairy farm in the Netherlands

Today inspectors from Eyes on Animals visited a standard (factory) pig farm in Brabant. There were 310 breeding sows and 2400 'slaughter´ pigs. After 5 farrowings, the breeding sows are culled and sent for slaughter as well. One week before farrowing the sows are placed into farrowing crates, where they remain until 4 weeks after giving birth. The piglets are then removed … [Read more...] about Announced visit of a standard pig farm in Brabant,Holland

Eyes on Animals visited the biological pig farm De Jofrahoeve in Brabant. This enterprise has 160 sows used for breeding and 1200 pigs raised for their meat. We were given an extensive tour and got a good impression of the differences between biological and intensively run pig farms. The essential difference is that all the pigs, including the ones raised for their meat … [Read more...] about Visit to an organic Pig Farm

Rondeel is an egg- farm in Barneveld with 30,000 hens. The managers have tried to provide an environment that, as much as possible, permits the hens to express their natural behaviours such as foraging, dust-bathing, nest-building and perching. The hen's beaks are not trimmed and they have free access to the outdoors and the warm indoors. The farm is in the shape of a … [Read more...] about Inspection of Rondeel egg farm in Barneveld