Today we visited the VION slaughterhouse in Boxtel to see how the slaughterhouse and transport companies were responding to the extreme heat. VION had implemented several measures to reduce heat stress. Around 9,500 pigs were slaughtered today instead of the usual 16,000, allowing all pigs to arrive before 12:00. This prevented transport during temperatures above 35°C, … [Read more...] about Visit to VION slaughterhouse in Boxtel during Code Red
slaughterhouses
Visit to Van Rooi pig slaughterhouse in Helmond during tropical temperatures
On 25 June, we visited the Van Rooi pig slaughterhouse in Helmond (NL) during a period of extreme heat. We wanted to see what measures had been taken to reduce heat stress and how long pigs had to remain in the trucks before they could be unloaded. Canopy with misting systems and ventilation provides cooling Van Rooi has a large canopy where livestock trucks wait … [Read more...] about Visit to Van Rooi pig slaughterhouse in Helmond during tropical temperatures
Heat stress inspection at a large slaughterhouse
Yesterday, we were in the field monitoring how pigs were coping with the extreme heat during transport. At one large Dutch slaughterhouse, we observed four trucks carrying pigs waiting to unload. One truck was parked in direct sunlight. When our team arrived, the driver left the parking area and began driving around to create airflow for the pigs. Another driver whom we … [Read more...] about Heat stress inspection at a large slaughterhouse
Introducing a major German retailer to a practical and more humane alternative to CO₂ stunning
Today we hosted the animal welfare manager of a large German supermarket chain, together with a veterinarian from the Deutscher Tierschutzbund e.V., for a visit to a large pig slaughterhouse where pigs are automatically stunned using electricity instead of the highly aversive CO₂ gas. Pigs exposed to CO₂ experience 15–30 seconds of intense panic and pain before losing … [Read more...] about Introducing a major German retailer to a practical and more humane alternative to CO₂ stunning
Blog published in Meating Place about EonA’s alternative to painful CO2 gas stunning of pigs
Erica Voogt, a U.S.-based animal welfare consultant specializing in slaughter practices and colleague of Temple Grandin, recently published a blog on Meating Place, a website platform for major players of the international meat industry such as Cargill, JPS and Tyson, about our project to phase out CO₂ stunning in pigs and replace it with a newly designed, less painful and … [Read more...] about Blog published in Meating Place about EonA’s alternative to painful CO2 gas stunning of pigs
10-day field mission to Mongolia – improving slaughter practices and transport
Eyes on Animals conducted a field mission to Mongolia following an invitation from a Cambridge University researcher working in the country on animal and meat-related issues. As part of this visit, we were also a special guest speaker at a big conference in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, where we shared insights on slaughter practices and animal welfare. The aim of the mission … [Read more...] about 10-day field mission to Mongolia – improving slaughter practices and transport
Regional slaughterhouses are disappearing — and animals are paying the price
Across the Netherlands, regional slaughterhouses are disappearing at an alarming pace. Not because they are unnecessary, but because they can no longer survive financially. And while that might sound like good news coming from an animal welfare organization, the reality is the opposite. The Netherlands is the world’s second-largest exporter of agricultural products, … [Read more...] about Regional slaughterhouses are disappearing — and animals are paying the price
Animal-welfare educational course given to farmers, transporters and butchers in northern Ghana
EonA/WACPAW's team in Ghana gave 3 animal welfare training sessions to farmers, transporters and butchers in Tolon and Savelugu Districts this past week. We shared practical tips on humane handling, animal health, proper nutrition, biosecurity, lower-stress loading and unloading, and humane slaughter methods, including the use of captive bolt stunners to render animals … [Read more...] about Animal-welfare educational course given to farmers, transporters and butchers in northern Ghana
Follow-up training on stunning at Krofrom Slaughter Slab, Ghana
Today the WACPAW/EONA team returned to the Krofrom slaughter slab in Kumasi to inspect conditions and retrain butchers on the correct and effective use of the captive bolt stunner before slaughter. We first trained this slaughterhouse three years ago and provided a captive bolt stunner at that time, which they used consistently until it eventually broke down. Because we … [Read more...] about Follow-up training on stunning at Krofrom Slaughter Slab, Ghana
Training on how to stun pigs humanely prior to slaughter, Doweba (Ghana)
WACPAW and EonA team inspected slaughter conditions at another pig farm in Ghana (Doweba). This farm slaughters 60 pigs per week at their own slaughter-slab. Warning- Some of these images are hard to look at, but they show the reality of what we are up against — and why this work matters. In most countries, pigs are still slaughtered while fully conscious, without … [Read more...] about Training on how to stun pigs humanely prior to slaughter, Doweba (Ghana)
