• 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
  • 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 » News » Wilki replaces old broken poultry-crates with better ones

Wilki replaces old broken poultry-crates with better ones

October 14, 2016

20161014-broken-crate-jpgA few years ago, Eyes on Animals observed how the Belgian transport and slaughter company “Wilki” regularly picked up “ spent” laying hens on farms in the Netherlands. We were very disappointed by the condition and quality of the crates they were using. Many of the crates were broken, and thus were at risk of collapsing (crushing the birds inside) under the weight of the loaded crates above, and the open gaps meant some birds risked falling out onto the road. The design of the doors of their crates was also very bad. Small flap doors pose a risk to hens having body parts crushed when shut, and because the opening is small, the birds can get hurt when stuffed 3-4 at a time through the small opening.

In 2013 we therefore invited the manager and veterinarian from Wilki to Coevorden (NL), where we sat in the office of a plastic- crate manufacturing company to discuss our concerns and propose solutions. We took a look at other crate designs and urged Wilki to replace all of its broken crates with new ones, of a different design. Wilki did this in steps, first replacing the most broken ones with new ones that had slightly larger flap-doors. But now in the summer/fall of 2016, Wilki has informed us that they have replaced all of their crates with the better-designed crates with sliding top doors (that pose much less risk of wings and heads getting crushed). Not only that, they also purchased 500 that additionally have side-access doors, which we worked on with Coevorden plastic company, so that at least the birds in the outer rows of the truck could be accessed if need be. Slowly but surely, change is possible! We would like to thank the Dutch authorities of the NVWA for also putting energy into stricter checks of poultry trucks and the quality of the crates.

 

Broken crate
Broken crate

 

During our inspections in 2012 we observed birds with their wings crushed in the flap-doors and broken crates on Wilki trucks.

 

Meeting with Wilki in 2013

In 2013 we invited Wilki to meet with us and a plastic crate manufacturer, plus some competent Dutch poultry insustry players, to discuss our concerns and think of solutions together.

 

New crates
It was clear that crates with sliding top doors that open all the way do not hurt the birds as much during loading and there is less risk of body parts getting crushed when closed.

 

20161014-good-chicken-truckWilki not only has completely replaced all of their older crates with the newer ones with top sliding doors, but also ordered 500 crates that have the additional access doors on the side. Eyes on Animals promotes these so that at least the birds on the outer rows of the truck can be accessed and assisted during the journey if necessary. If Wilki is satisfied with the strength of the crates with side access doors, they have told us that they will buy more and more of them.

  • share 
  • tweet 
  • share 
  • save 
  • email 

Filed Under: Good news, News Tagged With: animal welfare improvements, chicken transport

Primary Sidebar

Search

Featured

New film on the fate of Irish unweaned calves on “illegal” export routes that EU tolerates

Ireland continues to break EU feeding laws for unweaned calves during transport when they export … [Read More...] about New film on the fate of Irish unweaned calves on “illegal” export routes that EU tolerates

Featured

Eyes on Animals and Ruurehoeve dairy farm on Canadian TV

The French-Canadian TV show “La Semaine Verte” reported on Eyes on Animals’ project with farmer … [Read More...] about Eyes on Animals and Ruurehoeve dairy farm on Canadian TV

Our most recent newsletter

Dear friends,

Despite the extreme heat and high humidity these last days still tens of thousands of pigs were transported to Dutch slaughterhouses. We visited the two largest: VION in Boxtel and VION in Apeldoorn. 

Read more…

Subscribe to our newsletter

Eyes on Animals op Twitter

eyes_on_animals Eyes on Animals @eyes_on_animals ·
13h

📌 Animals' Angels onderzocht 🚚🚢 van slachtkalveren van 🇫🇷,🇮🇪, ‘🇳🇱’ , 🇩🇰, 🇩🇪 via 🇪🇸 naar de Canarische Eilanden : hittestress, dood, ruimtegebrek, buitensporige lengte Transporttijden, honger, dorst. Ongelooflijk wat 'slacht’dieren in de 🇪🇺 moeten doorstaan. Dit moet stoppen!

Reply on Twitter 1557005121996857345 Retweet on Twitter 1557005121996857345 27 Like on Twitter 1557005121996857345 40 Twitter 1557005121996857345
dierenrecht Dier&Recht @dierenrecht ·
14h

De @dierencoalitie: ''Als je maar hard genoeg schreeuwt, intimideert of agressief bent, dan wordt er blijkbaar naar je geluisterd. Naar wie niet geluisterd wordt, zijn de miljoenen dieren waar het in de #stikstofcrisis om draait.''
https://www.bnnvara.nl/joop/artikelen/waarom-de-dierenstem-door-remkes-gehoord-moet-worden

Reply on Twitter 1556986458916913152 Retweet on Twitter 1556986458916913152 17 Like on Twitter 1556986458916913152 67 Twitter 1556986458916913152
eyes_on_animals Eyes on Animals @eyes_on_animals ·
15h

🐐 Quote: “Daarnaast is er maatschappelijk veel weerstand tegen het onnodig doden van dieren. Op verschillende niveaus in de samenleving geeft dat veel discussie.Dat schaadt het imago van de geitenhouderij. Daar wil de sector vanaf. “ #imagoschade #bokjes https://www.nieuweoogst.nl/nieuws/2022/08/08/5-vragen-over-sectorplan-geitenbokjes

Reply on Twitter 1556975088133709825 Retweet on Twitter 1556975088133709825 4 Like on Twitter 1556975088133709825 11 Twitter 1556975088133709825
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 © 2022 · Eyes on Animals | Website by Webkompaan