Today, Eyes on Animals visited the Vion pig slaughterhouse in Groenlo, NL, where a major renovation has recently taken place. At Vion Groenlo, approximately 550 pigs per hour are stunned using CO2 gas, and the facility slaughters both conventional pigs and concept pigs, such as organic.
Implemented recommendations
We’re pleased to report that several recommendations from Eyes on Animals have been implemented, along with numerous other improvements. The lairage has been completely revamped, featuring higher ceilings, improved lighting, and better air quality. The gates are now equipped with rubber stoppers and are made of lightweight plastic, significantly reducing noise in the lairage. Additionally, many gates can open in both directions, allowing for smoother handling of the pigs. The stocking density in the pens has been significantly reduced (from 0.5 m² to 0.7 m² per pig), and the pigs remain in the same social groups as they were on the trucks, reducing hierarchical fighting and bringing much more calm to the lairage (on average 70dB). The driving corridors have also been improved, with turns limited to 40 degrees to avoid blockages. The high (~1.20 m) walls of the corridors help limit the pigs’ view of humans. Furthermore, the entire facility (floors, walls, etc.) has been given a uniform color to minimize contrasts and distractions for the pigs.
Improvements to reduce heat stress
Outside, powerful industrial fans, along with a row of trees, provide some cooling for pigs that have to wait in stationary trucks, a clear improvement over the small fans that were in place last year. We are very positive about all these adjustments and see that they make a big difference for the thousands of pigs slaughtered here daily.
Eyes on Animals critical of CO2- gas stunning
We regret that Vion Groenlo has switched to CO2-gas stunning. Eyes on Animals is highly critical of this stunning method, as it causes respiratory distress and chemical burning in the mucous areas of the eyes, nose and mouth. Although steps have been taken to improve CO2-gas stunning – such as a long exposure time to CO2 (to reduce the chance of pigs regaining consciousness), reducing the number of pigs per stunning round, ensuring a steady, calm gas flow, and installing sensors at different levels to continuously measure gas concentrations – we observed again today that the panic and pain caused by CO2 stunning among the pigs remains unacceptable to us.
While we are positive about the adjustments that have been made at Vion Groenlo, we continue to strongly advocate for alternatives to CO2 stunning such as improved low-speed automatic electric stunning.
Suggestions for further improvements
We made a few suggestions to Vion Groenlo to further reduce stress in their slaughterhouse, such as:
- Replace rattling devices used to drive pigs (as much as possible) with quieter alternatives, such as flags and plastic bags.
- Improve lighting and install cameras in the CO2 stunning cages to better monitor the stunning process.
- Extend the roof at the unloading bay so that trucks are also shaded during unloading.
- Limit waiting times to a maximum of 15 minutes. While shorter than last year, these times are still too long.
- Combine the large industrial fans with a misting system and place a billboard reminding drivers of the heat protocol, as is also done at Vion Boxtel.
