Last night and today we carried out an unannounced inspection of the Leeuwarden cattle market and the loading of cattle onto trucks here. All cattle arriving at this market are destined for slaughter and thus many culled- cows from the dairy industry are present. The Leeuwarden cattle market has taken many steps to improve welfare over the past few years and we are very … [Read more...] about Inspection of Leeuwarden cattle market and loading, NL
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Inspection of Bunnik cattle market, NL
Two inspectors visited the cattle market in Bunnik unannounced. The last time we were at this market was 1.5 years ago. This cattle market takes place every week at a farm animal collection centre. The atmosphere was calm and most of the cows looked generally healthy. The Holstein cows however always look rough- very thin and swellings on their joints. One cow had … [Read more...] about Inspection of Bunnik cattle market, NL
Inspection of Heeswijk-Dinther pig collection centre, NL
Eyes on Animals visited the Heeswijck-Dinther pig collection centre in Brabant for the second time, again unannounced. Here pigs and sows are brought together from various regions, and a few hours later are reloaded and brought to slaughter - primarily to Vion slaughterhouse in Groenlo. During the previous visit in November 2013, there were two sows that arrived in such … [Read more...] about Inspection of Heeswijk-Dinther pig collection centre, NL
Meeting with managers of Dutch horse markets, the NVWA and Dierenbescherming
Following the horse market in Zuidlaren (NL) in October, today a meeting was held between representatives of the five largest Dutch horse markets (Hedel, Zuidlaren, Bemmel, Barneveld and Elst), an exporter, the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), the national welfare protection agency and a representative for Eyes on Animals and the Animal Welfare … [Read more...] about Meeting with managers of Dutch horse markets, the NVWA and Dierenbescherming
Unannounced visit to slaughterhouse Tomassen in Someren (NL)
Today Eyes on Animals inspectors paid an unannounced visit to slaughterhouse Tomassen slaughterhouse in Someren (Noord-Brabant, NL) again. In July we were also here and then we watched the slaughter process of cows. We wanted to return to inspect the slaughter of pigs. But today there were again only cows being slaughtered. We were again received in a friendly manner. The … [Read more...] about Unannounced visit to slaughterhouse Tomassen in Someren (NL)
Unannounced inspection of Animo pig collecting station
Today EonA inspectors visited the pig collecting station “Animo” in the south of The Netherlands. The owner made time available for us and we could look around freely and take photos. In the pens there was saw dust and the animals had access to water. During our visit a truck with 600 piglets was offloaded. The truck, made in Italy, was brand new. Unfortunately the floor … [Read more...] about Unannounced inspection of Animo pig collecting station
Inspection pig collection centre, NL
Today we went to a collection centre of pigs, where pigs are collected and further transported to slaughterhouses. There were some unfit animals who could not be transported anymore: they were euthanised. We will come back to this collection centre and we will then report more details. We would like to thank the owner for his openness and we will return here in the near … [Read more...] about Inspection pig collection centre, NL
Inspection of Hedel horse market, NL
Bad weather conditions made the stay on the horse market uncomfortable for the animals on November 4 2013. Due to limited staff, Eyes on Animals was unfortunately only present during the day: from about 13:30 to 17:30 hours. Eyes on Animals greatly appreciates the efforts of the market organization to stress the importance of animal welfare and compliance with the … [Read more...] about Inspection of Hedel horse market, NL
Unannounced visit to Leeuwarden cattle-market (NL)
Eyes on Animals inspectors paid an unannounced visit to the cull-cow market in Leeuwarden early this morning. There were over 400 cows today. There was a lot of bedding (straw) for the animals. There were pens in which the cows could be housed loosely and all the animals have access to water. Today it was what the market managers call ‘fathers’ day’ … [Read more...] about Unannounced visit to Leeuwarden cattle-market (NL)
Inspection horse market Zuidlaren (NL)
Today our teams visited the yearly horse market in Zuidlaren (Drenthe, NL). There were 1679 horses, ponies and donkeys. Two of our inspectors were present at night and early in the morning and two others during the day. Some of the animals were tied on too close-by to the noisy fair. Trucks and trailers did not only come from Holland, but also from Spain, Poland, England … [Read more...] about Inspection horse market Zuidlaren (NL)
