During a recent unannounced follow-up visit by Eyes on Animals to another cattle slaughterhouse in the Tekirdağ region of Turkey, we again encountered multiple downer dairy cows—animals arriving unable to stand or walk.
The cows showed clear signs of severe distress, including rapid breathing, trembling, and shock. Such animals are already badly injured or sick at the farm but due to rough handling during loading and the truck journey, they arrive in such a shocking state.
What normally happens
This slaughterhouse did not want a stunner and never stuns. During our previous visit, we documented how downer cows were dragged out of trucks over long distances and then hoisted and their throats cut while fully conscious—a practice that causes extreme fear and suffering and is still common in almost all Turkish slaughterhouses.
What changed during this visit
During this visit, four downer cows arrived while our team was present. With permission from the slaughterhouse management, this time Eyes on Animals was allowed to render all four cows unconscious using a captive-bolt stunner before they were dragged from the truck.
We demonstrated how the stunner works and allowed staff to observe the difference directly. Once unconscious, the animals no longer experienced fear or pain during handling, hoisting, or neck cutting. We appreciate the openness of the slaughterhouse in allowing this intervention.
Why suffering will continue
Despite seeing the clear welfare benefits, the slaughterhouse does not yet dare to use stunning routinely. Current interpretations of Diyanet and SMIIC halal standards, applicable in Turkey and many other Islamic countries, still prohibit stunning. As a result, from the following day onwards mobile and also downer injured cattle will again be handled and slaughtered while fully conscious.
A troubling contradiction
It is deeply concerning that stunning—an intervention that clearly prevents extreme suffering—is discouraged, while practices such as dragging, hoisting, and cutting the throats of fully conscious animals remain tolerated in Turkey.
The way forward
Many slaughterhouses in Turkey do adopt stunning after our training once they see how it works in practice. This slaughterhouse has now asked Eyes on Animals to help seek official permission to use stunning. We will raise this issue with the relevant authorities and continue to advocate for practical changes that spare animals extreme and unnecessary suffering.
