Today the Dutch court ruled that catching chickens by their legs is forbidden under EU law 1/2005, and that the Dutch Food Authority (NVWA) should enforce this. The case was filed by the organization Wakker Dier. Until now the NVWA has only given warnings to catching companies that catch and load chickens by their legs. The judge has decided that this does not suffice. The … [Read more...] about Dutch court rules: catching birds by their legs is illegal and authorities must take enforcement action
chicken-catching
Meeting with Peer Systeem about the partial automation of catching and loading of laying hens
Today Eyes on Animals brainstormed with the chairman of Peer Systeem. Peer Systeem developed an automated system to catch, load and transport broilers. The system is currently being used in a Czech poultry slaughterhouse. The broilers are caught with a machine and transported to a mechanically ventilated poultry truck on a conveyor belt. There is little to no contact … [Read more...] about Meeting with Peer Systeem about the partial automation of catching and loading of laying hens
More and more chicken-catching companies, encouraged by the Dutch Chicken Catching Organization, refuse to catch birds upright
For more than six years we have had a positive time training chicken-catching companies on the gentle upright method of catching poultry and, together with several egg and poultry producers, have been catching the birds upright instead of inverted by the legs. Gentle upright catching was not something that could be put into place at all poultry farms in the Netherlands, as … [Read more...] about More and more chicken-catching companies, encouraged by the Dutch Chicken Catching Organization, refuse to catch birds upright
Laying hens from Rondeel this time caught by the legs and held upside down
Despite Rondeel having been the first egg company to switch to the gentle upright method of catching hens in 2017, this time none of the birds were caught upright. The reason being that the large chicken-catching companies, such as Den Ouden in this case, refuse. They have been pressured by the umbrella poultry organization to no longer catch any birds in the Netherlands … [Read more...] about Laying hens from Rondeel this time caught by the legs and held upside down
Presentation to DEFRA’s expert-committee on the catching, loading and transportation of poultry
This morning we gave a presentation to the UK government agency DEFRA and their committee of experts AWC (Animal Welfare Committee). We shared our knowledge, experiences and advice on 'upright' catching, as well as showing them the conventional methods of catching, loading and transporting. Sadly we continue to see serious welfare issues, such as hens flying against metal … [Read more...] about Presentation to DEFRA’s expert-committee on the catching, loading and transportation of poultry
EonA shares ideas and advice with the International team from Meyn
Today Eyes on Animals gave a presentation to an International Team from Meyn. Meyn develops transportation modules and slaughter lines for poultry and is a market leader in this field. To make animal welfare an important consideration in the development of their future products, Meyn asked us to share our experiences and our ideas. Among other things we gave … [Read more...] about EonA shares ideas and advice with the International team from Meyn
Kipster puts practical ideas into place, but not all birds caught upright
Tonight the “spent” laying hens of Kipster in Beuningen were to be caught and loaded for transport. Kipster employees spent 5 hours installing wire fencing along the entire bottom of all of their aviaries to block the birds from going underneath the installation, so that upright catching could also be very efficient. Normally catchers have to go underneath the … [Read more...] about Kipster puts practical ideas into place, but not all birds caught upright
Upright chicken catching project on German and French TV
ZDF and Arte recently televised EonA’s project to reduce stress, pain and injuries by catching hens upright instead of upside down by one leg. It was aired on both German and French TV. The camera team joined us at Kipster poultry farm on the evening of the catch, where the hens had to be loaded for transport. We gave a short presentation to the catching team and … [Read more...] about Upright chicken catching project on German and French TV
EFSA recommends upright catching for birds
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has advised to carry and load birds upright, instead of inverted by their legs. This is one of the recommendations EFSA recently published in their latest report to the European Commission. They write “During loading, inversion and carrying birds by the legs increases the severity of handling stress and the risk of injuries … [Read more...] about EFSA recommends upright catching for birds
Norwegian chicken producer Norsk Kyling uses upright catching method
The Norwegian chicken producer Norsk Kyling has been encouraging their poultry farmers (135 in total) and catching companies to catch their broilers using the upright method, instead of grabbing them by the legs. In barns where the containers can be placed close to the broilers with a forklift, the upright method is usually applied. In barns where the containers are … [Read more...] about Norwegian chicken producer Norsk Kyling uses upright catching method
