Today, Eyes on Animals conducted an unannounced visit to the Van Rooi assembly center in Lieshout. The purpose of our visit was to gain more insight into the export of slaughter pigs and sows. These so-called “end-of-career animals” deserve extra attention in our view, as their condition is often suboptimal. Sows are usually culled due to fertility problems or reduced piglet production, which are often linked to underlying illnesses. For piglets, it often concerns physical defects such as umbilical hernias, bitten tails, or swollen joints. Despite their reduced condition, these animals are usually transported to slaughterhouses via collection points, often abroad. Eyes on Animals advocates for these animals to be slaughtered closer to home, without the involvement of collection points.
In recent years, the NVWA (partly under pressure from NGOs) has increased its focus on the condition of animals during transport. A system has been developed to classify animals into three categories based on color codes: red animals cannot be transported, green animals can be transported without restrictions, and orange animals may only be transported under specific conditions.
Van Rooi exports most of its piglets to Croatia and emphasized that this transport is carried out with great care. The sows are mainly transported to Germany. It has been agreed that Eyes on Animals will be allowed to observe the loading process of slaughter piglets to assess whether improvements can be made and to examine how the classification of green, orange, and red animals is applied in practice.
Additionally, Eyes on Animals aims to explore ways to improve slaughter conditions for piglets, both in the Netherlands and in Southern European slaughterhouses where many piglets are slaughtered. Piglets are often manually stunned using electrical tongs, but this process is particularly challenging due to their small size and agility. Typically, the piglets are in a large pen, constantly moving, while the worker attempts to position the tongs correctly on their small, fast-moving heads. This can lead to stunning errors, causing unnecessary pain and stress for the animals. If animals of this size continue to be slaughtered, a new method must be developed—one that ensures the tongs can be placed more securely, significantly reducing the risk of errors.
Eyes on Animals greatly appreciates the transparency of the Van Rooi collection point and is thankful for their willingness to show us their procedures and to engage in discussion with us.
