This evening, Eyes on Animals conducted an inspection of a truck transporting turkeys from northern France to a slaughterhouse in Germany, via the Netherlands. The inspection was carried out at the invitation of Mantrans, the transport company responsible for the journey. The truck had closed sides (curtains) and was equipped with a cooling and ventilation system designed to alleviate the effects of hot and cold weather on the birds. This system, developed by Ravenhorst, was voted by the participants at our Better Practices Conference a few years ago for “Best Innovation to Potentially Better Protect Welfare During Transport”.
Since the outdoor temperature during our inspection was relatively mild, it was difficult to assess this trucks’ full potential to cool birds down on hot days. Nevertheless, we observed several turkeys inside the truck behind the thick curtains showing signs of heat stress, with some mildly panting and others stretching their necks. While this behavior can also be seen in turkeys on farms—where breeds commonly used grow very quickly and produce a lot of heat—it should not be considered normal and is a sign of discomfort.
The high loading density contributed to the birds (especially in the middle) exhibiting signs of heat stress. Although the density complied with the maximum EU loading-density standards, the EU densities are still far too high and the birds did not have room with some found even on top of each other. We understand that Mantrans needs to remain competitive with other transport companies also using the maximum EU loading densities, however we would like to see some transport companies stepping beyond and setting up a reputation for doing things differently and better than the current inadequate EU standards. We believe the temperature and humidity inside the trailer could have been set slightly lower to better accommodate the birds’ needs. Fortunately, stricter legislation requiring more space for poultry during transport is expected to be published by the EU Commission in the near future. During the inspection, we noticed that a number of turkeys had bloody injuries all on the same spot of their wings. The owner of Mantrans found this also very strange and promised us to trace back what might have been the cause and let us know. It’s possible these injuries occurred during the catching and loading process, which is often mechanized and involves conveyor belts. Unfortunately we have not received feedback from him yet.
One feature of the poultry containers that particularly impressed us was that they had side-access doors, which are not common, despite “ access to the animals” being mandatory during transport. These access-doors proved invaluable during our inspection as we were able to help one turkey in very poor condition that was being squished by the others. Together with the driver we were able to get her out and move her into another container that was much less crowded greatly reducing her discomfort and pain.
Although we raised some concerns during our inspection, we recognize and commend the efforts made by Mantrans and Ravenhorst. Addressing challenges such as heat and cold stress—common causes of mortality during poultry transport—is no small task. We understand that creating the ideal poultry-transport trailer is a long process, involving setbacks and requiring a continuous commitment to tackling challenges and improving welfare. We greatly appreciate the ongoing work by Mantrans and Ravenhorst, as without their efforts, no progress would be made. We hope our constructive feedback will contribute to further improvements in truck design.
