On 19 March, we paid an unannounced visit to the cattle market in Leeuwarden. The market management immediately made time to show us around.
The market appeared well organised: all cattle were housed in groups (except for the bulls), there was plenty of clean straw, the air was fresh, and water was available in every pen. Compared to a few years ago, the condition of the cows had clearly improved. We did not see any extremely emaciated or severely lame animals.
However, we did observe some cows that, in our view, should not have been sent to a market. They showed visible signs of pain, likely due to inflammation in their claws or joints. Some shifted their weight uneasily from one leg to another to relieve pressure on painful limbs; others frequently kept one leg lifted. Through the I&R system, we found that some of these cows were sent to a slaughterhouse in the far south of the Netherlands. We followed one of these transports: the truck left the market at 00:48 and the animals were not unloaded at the slaughterhouse until 05:35. The slaughterhouse management allowed to observe the unloading, which was done calmly. All cows walked off the truck without any help, although some did so with great caution.
In our view, animals with visible pain do not belong at a livestock market. For these animals, several hours at the market followed by a long journey in a moving truck is too taxing and poses serious welfare risks. We believe such animals should be humanely killed on the dairy farm or transported directly and carefully to a local slaughterhouse – without first going through a market.
Another concern is the lack of feed at the market. The period between the last feeding at the dairy farm and slaughter can easily exceed 24 hours. For high-yielding dairy cows with substantial energy needs, this is too long. During our visit, there was also a great deal of bellowing – possibly a sign of hunger. We recommended making hay available in every pen. This is a simple change that could immediately improve the welfare of many animals.
Despite these concerns, we want to acknowledge the important steps the market has already taken to improve animal welfare – such as group housing, plenty of straw, the exclusion of severely emaciated or lame animals, and good loading and unloading facilities. We truly appreciate these efforts. We are confident that the market management will also take our new recommendations seriously. These will be discussed at the next members’ meeting.
We also want to thank the managers of the slaughterhouse, who warmly welcomed us, allowed us to observe the unloading, and took the time to discuss how the welfare of dairy cattle during transport could be further improved.
