Today we visited Van Miert poultry slaughterhouse in Breukelen (NL). When we arrived, we saw a poultry truck parked in full sun. Six fans were placed alongside the truck, whilst one employee sprayed water on the road surface underneath the truck. Even though this helps to cool the birds down, it is not enough during this extreme heat (32°C, 40% RH).
Because Van Miert was not open (until today) for a visit by EonA, we were standing outside their property to record the waiting times. A manager of the slaughterhouse came to us and let us know that because of a malfunction in the slaughter line, the truck was unable to go inside. In total the truck was parked in the sun for at least 30 minutes. This is unacceptable.
We advised of the urgent need for a canopy to help deal with these hot weather conditions. Having shade is a bare minimum when situations like this occur. The employee acknowledged this and informed us that they are currently working on it. Van Miert has recently been acquired by Clazing. A few steps have been taken already against heat stress, including more, and larger fans.
The employee was respectful and open towards us. This gives us hope that there will indeed be a canopy soon and that maybe a visit by EonA will be possible. We agreed that we will send Van Miert our report with recommendations to reduce heat stress. We will keep you updated!
