• 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 » Visit to Van der Linden poultry slaughterhouse in Beringe (NL)

Visit to Van der Linden poultry slaughterhouse in Beringe (NL)

September 2, 2022

Today we paid an announced visit to Van der Linden poultry slaughterhouse. Van der Linden took time out of their busy schedule to show us the process from beginning to end, and to answer all our questions. 

In the lairage, big fans with water-misters had been fitted on the ceiling. There were also fans on the floor. The water-misters help cool the air. However, in some areas the humidity was rather high, which caused the broilers to experience (mild) heat stress. We recommended Van der Linden to place more ventilators  to decrease the humidity, and help birds cope with the heat.

Big fans with water-misters fitted on the ceiling

Moving the transport containers from truck to stunning area went very quietly. The noise level was low, and movements were not abrupt and without delay. Van der Linden also has its own transporters and poultry farmers, which means better organisation and planning, and as a result transportation and waiting times are relatively short. 

The chickens were stunned using a 2-phase gas stunning system manufactured by Marel. During the stunning process we did see the birds were gasping for air, but we did not see serious wing flapping or ‘escape’ behavior, making the stunning phase acceptable in terms of welfare. The stunning system however does have a big disadvantage; birds have to be tilted out of the containers, onto a conveyor belt, alive (prior to stunning). Measures were taken to make this ‘live tilting’ a little less stressful (sliding plates, fewer chickens per drawer and continuous checks for trapped birds). Nevertheless, this remains a very critical point, as the tilting is still quite abrupt and causes birds to panic. Van der Linden is therefore considering switching to a new gas stunning system whereby the chickens can stay in the containers during the whole process (eliminating live tilting). Newer gas-stunning systems also have the advantage of starting with a lower CO2 concentration and then raising it more slowly, which alleviates some of the stress birds experience.  We therefore strongly encourage Van der Linden to do so and gave them recommendations on the different gas-stunning systems that are available on the market right now. 

Birds tilted out of the containers

Finally, we have advised Van der Linden to purchase a small stunner so individual chickens can be stunned quickly  to prevent unnecessary suffering  For example, when a chicken is injured or regains consciousness after gas-stunning (this sometimes happens). Stunning can be done with electricity or mechanically (captive bolt gun manufactured by the company Bock). Currently the method widely used in the poultry industry is cervical dislocation (breaking of the neck), but this is extremely painful for the chicken for at least 20-25 seconds. Birds do not lose consciousness immediately and without pain as is often assumed.  It is therefore unacceptable in our opinion. 

The way we were received by Van der Linden today is praiseworthy. Van der Linden showed us everything (including the critical moments in the process) and we were allowed to take images. We really appreciate their openness and transparency. They seem serious about animal welfare and our advice, and we are confident that they will get to work on this. 

  • share 
  • tweet 
  • share 
  • save 
  • email 

Filed Under: Our inspections, slaughterhouses Tagged With: animal welfare improvements, animal welfare inspection, slaughterhouse design, slaughterhouses

Primary Sidebar

Search

Featured

Fine for VION pig-slaughterhouse in Boxtel due to long waiting times in summer heat

An enforcement request by Eyes on Animals resulted in a fine for VION pig slaughterhouse in Boxtel … [Read More...] about Fine for VION pig-slaughterhouse in Boxtel due to long waiting times in summer heat

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

Our most recent newsletter

Dear friends,

I first discovered the bad side of factory-farming and industrial slaughter when I was a young girl of twelve.
When I visited a livestock market I saw a pile of sick animals left for dead behind the building. At a huge industrial poultry slaughterhouse, I saw dozens of live chickens walking around the bloody floor…

 

Read more…

Subscribe to our newsletter

Eyes on Animals op Twitter

eyes_on_animals Eyes on Animals @eyes_on_animals ·
5m

Our latest newsletter: A one week investigation on Irish calves. https://mailchi.mp/8c16b13260f6/heatstressnewsletter-en-9301915?e=818abb91df

Reply on Twitter 1641460681227530241 Retweet on Twitter 1641460681227530241 1 Like on Twitter 1641460681227530241 Twitter 1641460681227530241
eyes_on_animals Eyes on Animals @eyes_on_animals ·
3h

📌🐓 Kijktip! #vogelgriep #pluimvee

Reply on Twitter 1641413136719785985 Retweet on Twitter 1641413136719785985 8 Like on Twitter 1641413136719785985 11 Twitter 1641413136719785985
houseanimals_nl House of Animals @houseanimals_nl ·
5h

Meeste Nederlanders willen wettelijke bescherming melkkoeien https://ift.tt/IyXfvBg #AnimalsToday

Reply on Twitter 1641382666212720642 Retweet on Twitter 1641382666212720642 3 Like on Twitter 1641382666212720642 6 Twitter 1641382666212720642
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