Having published several reports on the phasing out of pig castration here in The Netherlands, Eyes on Animals was invited to the EU workshop on pig castration and alternatives. Speakers from all over Europe, primarily from the pork industry but also from agricultural universities and meat research institutes, were present. During question and answer period, Eyes on Animals briefly explained how things were progessing quickly and very well in Holland (where in 2011 almost 90% of male piglets destined for the Dutch market will no longer be castrated) and asked the question to the floor of why it was taking other countries so long to follow suit. It has already been proven that boar taint can be detected at the slaughterhouses, that boar taint is not as common as previously believed, and that boar meat can be marketed. Eyes on Animals later emailed its reports to all participants of the conference, in the hope that the information and photos in the reports will inspire the pork industries in other countries to also stop pig castration.
