Today we visited a slaughterhouse that leased one of our stunners 2 years ago to render the cattle unconscious before slaughter. The chief butcher is a strong supporter of the captive bolt stunner and uses it as often as he can to stun cattle first. He cannot use it on all cattle as in Turkey the owner of the animal decides, there is no national legislation making stunning … [Read more...] about Inspection of sheep slaughter at a slaughterhouse near Tekirdag, Turkey
slaughterhouse design
Follow-up inspection of Gosschalk slaughterhouse, NL
Today Eyes on Animals was again at Gosschalk, a Dutch slaughterhouse that had had many serious welfare issues caught on tape and exposed last year by Varkens in Nood. We were hesitant to respond to Gosschalks' request for help at first but decided to test them out to see how serious they were about really reducing animal stress and pain. Several months after our first … [Read more...] about Follow-up inspection of Gosschalk slaughterhouse, NL
Visit to Van Rooi slaughterhouse (NL) after animal welfare improvements
Today Eyes on Animals visited Van Rooi slaughterhouse in Helmond (NL) where several improvements were implemented following our advice. A large section of the automatic push gates (that lead the pigs to the CO2 stunner) were removed and replaced by calm workers. This has significantly reduced stress levels amongst the pigs. The pigs now walk more calmly and their … [Read more...] about Visit to Van Rooi slaughterhouse (NL) after animal welfare improvements
Inspection goat-kids slaughterhouse in Brabant (NL)
Today we inspected a slaughterhouse where goat-kids are slaughtered. A lot of goat-kids are sent to slaughter only a week after birth, because there is no time, space or financial gain for the goat farmer to fatten them. This issue mainly concerns male kids (as these don’t produce milk) and female kids that are no longer needed. They are slaughtered as soon as they are … [Read more...] about Inspection goat-kids slaughterhouse in Brabant (NL)
Slaughterhouse Henk Worst shows no interest in a visit from Eyes on Animals
Early this year we approached slaughterhouse Henk Worst with the request to visit their operation. Despite several attempts (via email and phone), we have not received a reaction from them to date. Our conclusion, unfortunately, is that they are not open to our visit and advice. Eyes on Animals is contacted on a regular basis by small scale, animal friendly … [Read more...] about Slaughterhouse Henk Worst shows no interest in a visit from Eyes on Animals
Evaluation of Brand pig slaughterhouse in Lohne, Germany
Today, Eyes on Animals together with Dr. Kees Scheepens was asked by Brand pig slaughterhouse to visit their slaughterhouse to evaluate conditions inside and see if we had any new ideas for what they could do to decrease any unnecessary suffering or stress. Brand slaughterhouse uses CO2 to stun pigs, which remains a welfare problem as inhaling CO2 causes a … [Read more...] about Evaluation of Brand pig slaughterhouse in Lohne, Germany
EonA and WACPAW help Tamale abattoir in Ghana with improving floor
The big construction works to drastically reduce some of the extreme suffering at this slaughterhouse in northern Ghana have begun ! Eyes on Animals and WACPAW proposed to the managers of this slaughterhouse 2 years ago a different design where the cattle would at least suffer less. Two of the biggest problems at the time were the huge open gutters everywhere and slippery … [Read more...] about EonA and WACPAW help Tamale abattoir in Ghana with improving floor
Inspection of Feenstra pig slaughterhouse and slaughter of Zonvarken’s pigs there
Today we visited Feenstra, a non-intensive slaughterhouse (20 pigs per hour) in The Netherlands with Beter Leven Keurmerk. We went today because the pigs from the new pig meat company "Zonvarken" were going to be slaughtered. We had advised Zonvarkens on what they could do to limit fear and pain during transport and slaughter of their animals. One of our suggestions was to … [Read more...] about Inspection of Feenstra pig slaughterhouse and slaughter of Zonvarken’s pigs there
Inspection of Westfort sow and boar slaughterhouse in Gorinchem, NL
Today a team visited Westfort slaughterhouse in Gorinchem. This plant slaughters culled adult sows and boars, that were used for breeding. We were told that we are always welcome to visit and even just show up. This level of transparency is very positive. The employees at this plant, just like at the other Westfort plant in IJsselstein, are thoroughly trained and receive a … [Read more...] about Inspection of Westfort sow and boar slaughterhouse in Gorinchem, NL
Brainstorm session at DGS Slaughterhouse Equipment Manufacturer
Today we met with the founder of DGS and two project managers to discuss how to best incorporate animal behaviour into design of lairages, raceways and restraint boxes in order to reduce fear among the animals to be slaughtered. Using plastic instead of steel to reduce noise levels, removing contrasts and sharp corners in the raceways and making the floor non-slip and … [Read more...] about Brainstorm session at DGS Slaughterhouse Equipment Manufacturer
