Recently, RTL TV published undercover footage taken at slaughterhouse Gosschalk in Epe. The video shows workers beating pigs and cows with paddles and giving them electric shocks. The footage that was taken was commissioned by the organization pig-welfare NGO “Varkens in Nood”.
Gosschalk was one of the few slaughterhouses that Eyes on Animals was never welcome to visit. For 4 years we tried to organize a visit, but time after time Gosschalk let us know the doors were not open for us. They did say they would possibly approach us for a training of their stall workers but never got back to us about that.
Shortly before the RTL broadcast we suddenly received an invitation from Gosschalk. They very much wanted our help in improving animal welfare. Because we have little confidence that Gosschalk genuinely wants to improve and we are afraid that our name is being used just to clean up their image, we have decided not to accept the invitation.
Eyes on Animals believes that Gosschalk, given the gravity of the abuses and years of disinterest in animal welfare, should be shut down and kept shut until there is a major change in attitude. This would also serve as an important signal to other slaughterhouses, that such malpractices will never be tolerated and be firmly penalized.
Read our letter to Gosschalk here (only available in Dutch) >>
