On October 22, Eyes on Animals organized a visit for two leading international welfare experts — Victor Lima from Brazil and Michelle Jendral from Canada — to manufacturer of poultry trucks Ravenhorst and to ESBRO, one of the largest poultry slaughterhouses in the Netherlands. The purpose of this visit was to jointly explore practical improvements in poultry welfare. Topics included poultry-handling methods, container design, the wellbeing of chicken catchers and slaughterhouse workers, and air-conditioned poultry transport.
One key topic was catching injuries, which are not only a welfare concern but also a financial one, as carcasses with bruising require trimming. We discussed how to better detect such injuries and how improved handling methods could reduce them.
It was a genuinely interesting exchange in which all parties – each bringing different international perspectives – openly shared their operating procedures, developments and dilemmas.
At ESBRO, we observed the arrival of an air-conditioned poultry truck from Ravenhorst, which made a very good impression: the birds appeared calm, were evenly distributed and had sufficient space. We were also given an extensive tour of the slaughterhouse, following the birds from arrival to stunning and through the slaughter process. ESBRO employs numerous modern technologies that contribute to aspects of welfare, product quality and food safety.
Regarding welfare, we discussed live tilting before stunning, which – although measures have been taken to reduce its abruptness – still causes considerable stress to broilers, including smothering and difficulties to upright themselves. ESBRO has future plans to switch to a CO₂-stunning system in which birds remain inside their container drawers, making live tilting unnecessary. We continue to strongly recommend and support this step.
Regarding stunning, we recommended installing an additional inspection window just before the final section of the tunnel, where the birds drop onto another conveyor belt and the CO₂ concentration is highest. This point offers the clearest and easiest moment to check for any signs of consciousness. If birds at this stage do not show relaxed necks during the fall but instead have extended, fixed necks—an indicator of consciousness—dwell times can be adjusted accordingly. An added window would make this monitoring significantly easier.
Furthermore, the experts advised closing some small gaps alongside the conveyor belt to prevent birds from getting body parts caught. ESBRO implemented this recommendation the very next day. Adding an extra window to the CO₂ tunnel is more technically complex and will require consultation with the manufacturer, Marel, but ESBRO has already initiated this process. We very much appreciate ESBRO’s proactive approach to making improvements.
It was a very productive and genuinely encouraging day, showing how constructive and open the dialogue between welfare specialists and industry can be. We greatly appreciated the warm welcome from ESBRO and their openness throughout the visit.
