We are back in Turkey to do follow-up checks on the slaughterhouses that we had leased a stunner to and taught the employees how to render animals unconscious first with it before cutting their throats. However, this week we are also meeting with NGOs and meat companies, so that they also put pressure on slaughterhouses in Turkey to clean up their act. This morning we met with Haytap, an important and large Turkish animal-welfare NGO. They focus on stronger legislation to protect stray dogs and cats, to ban circus animals, aquarium animals etc but since recently also on exposing slaughter practices to create more awareness. A new NGO under them will focus solely on promoting stunning during slaughter. We made several short films for them, showing slaughter conditions in Turkey which they will publish via their media channels (they have several hundred thousand followers in Turkey). They are skilled and professional activists, we have faith that the switch to at least more “humane” treatment of animals in slaughterhouses will be achieved faster with their help at raising public awareness.
