• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • EYES ON ANIMALS – Watching out for their Welfare
  • English
  • Nederlands
  • Deutsch

Eyes on Animals

Watching out for their Welfare

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
DONATE
  • About us
    • What we do
    • Our team
    • Key Figures
    • Contact
  • News
    • Latest news
    • Good news
    • Bad news
    • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Inspections
    • Farms
    • Markets
    • Transports
    • Slaughterhouses
    • Special projects
    • Other
  • Training
    • Police
    • Truck drivers
    • Poultry-catchers
    • Slaughter personnel
    • Training Material
    • Request a training
  • Industry Tips
    • Animal transport
      • Cattle
      • Pigs
      • Poultry
    • Slaughterhouses
      • Cattle
      • Pigs
      • Poultry
      • Ritual slaughter
    • Educational videos
  • Publications
    • In the media
      • Print
      • Television
      • Radio
      • Videos
    • Newsletters
    • Special reports
    • Training Material
    • Annual reviews
  • Future Vision
  • Help us
Home » Our inspections » farm » Visit Hy-Care pig production unit MS Schippers Bladel

Visit Hy-Care pig production unit MS Schippers Bladel

October 27, 2015

Today we have visited a Hy-Care pig production unit in Bladel. Hy-Care stands for hygiene and care, which are the two focal points for the ultramodern pig farm. On the farm, which is still in a prototype phase, pigs live in plastic containers. The containers are transported to the farmer on a sort of conveyor belt. In this way, issues such as castration, tail docking, applying ear tags and injections are controlled in a central location. The piglets come to one central place to have everything done rather than the worker having to step in and out of all the different fixed pens. In addition, almost every week the containers are brought to a “bathroom” , where the manure is discharged. After each round, the containers are cleaned thoroughly in a specially designed machine.

The Hy-Care system may not sound very friendly. However, the extra hygiene measures do have a positive impact on animal welfare compared to standard pig production farms: the pigs are physically healthier, the air quality is better and drinking water is cleaner compared to regular pig pens. From the Animal Welfare Quality research, with which pig welfare is measured, it appears that Hy-Care pigs score 10 points higher than regular pigs (71 compared to 61 points) in terms of welfare. Nonetheless, major animal welfare problems, such as inadequate space, chronic boredom, no flight options and restricting movement of sows with piglets exist. Eyes on Animals hopes that Schippers, the developer of the Hy-Care pig-pens, will look for ways to make the Hy-Care containers more friendly to the behavioral needs of the animals.

Hy-Care container
Piglets in Hy-Care container

 

We would like to thank Victor, Han and Mark very much for the detailed explanation of the Hy-Care system, for their hospitality and the tour of the Hy-Care pig system.

  • share 
  • tweet 
  • share 
  • save 
  • email 

Filed Under: farm, Our inspections Tagged With: animal welfare, piglets

Primary Sidebar

Search

Featured

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 … [Read More...] about Upright chicken catching project on German and French TV

Featured

Interview with Lesley Moffat for the podcast-show “See differently’

For the podcast-show “See differently” Christel van Raaij has a personal interview with Lesley … [Read More...] about Interview with Lesley Moffat for the podcast-show “See differently’

Our most recent newsletter

Dear friends,

I want to tell you about Akuba. A young sow we met last week in Ghana. We were there in the first two weeks of December, inspecting and improving slaughterhouses together with the local NGO WACPAW. Our goal: curb the intense suffering of animals that is going on there.

 

Read more…

Subscribe to our newsletter

Eyes on Animals op Twitter

trouwgroen Trouw Duurzaamheid & Economie @trouwgroen ·
20h

Opinie van dierethicus Willem Vermaat: "Tijd om de paardensport af te schaffen".
https://www.trouw.nl/a-b7688cad

Reply on Twitter 1621879757154418688 Retweet on Twitter 1621879757154418688 8 Like on Twitter 1621879757154418688 18 Twitter 1621879757154418688
eyes_on_animals Eyes on Animals @eyes_on_animals ·
4 Feb

👍 Met een groot compliment aan @trouw. Gewoon op zaterdag de voorpagina openen met de ‘Groeneboerenconferentie’ die vandaag in Utrecht plaatsvindt. #stikstof #boeren

Reply on Twitter 1621817674408890368 Retweet on Twitter 1621817674408890368 18 Like on Twitter 1621817674408890368 66 Twitter 1621817674408890368
wakkerdier Wakker Dier @wakkerdier ·
4 Feb

Het leven van de melkkoe kan pas echt verbeteren, als niemand meer trapt in de mooie praatjes en plaatjes van de zuivelindustrie. Daarom zenden we vanaf vandaag deze tv-spot uit.

Help je mee om Nederland wakker te schudden? Deel 'm dan. ✌️

Reply on Twitter 1621773048302174208 Retweet on Twitter 1621773048302174208 190 Like on Twitter 1621773048302174208 327 Twitter 1621773048302174208
Load More...

ANBI

Footer

Donate with Paypal

Paypal Eyes on Animals
One-time donation:
Monthly donation:

Reading Material

  • In the Media
  • Newsletters
  • Special EonA reports
  • Legislative texts
  • ANBI

Our Amsterdam Office

Amsterdam House Hotel
Eyes on Animals main office is in downtown Amsterdam, at the Amsterdam House Hotel. The generous and warm-hearted hotel owner donated to Eyes on Animals, free of charge, a beautiful room where our inspectors can work, hold meetings and store their material.

Copyright © 2023 · Eyes on Animals | Website by Webkompaan