Three cattle trucks full of pigs were waiting for an hour and a half in the heat on Monday at a few kilometers from the Vion slaughterhouse in Boxtel. The pigs showed severe symptoms of heat stress. For example, images from Eyes on Animals show that the animals had a high breathing rate. “They are cooked in these temperatures.”
The animal rights organization Eyes on Animals found pigs suffering from severe heat stress on Monday. “Unfortunately, we see that more often, but with these temperatures the animals are almost cooked,” says a spokesperson for the action group.
The three cattle trucks on their way to Vion in Boxtel were waiting along the road four kilometers from the slaughterhouse. “When the cars are stationary, it gets warmer for the pigs.”
“Pigs can foam and vomit.”
The animals suffered a lot from heat stress. “We counted a respiratory rate of 127 per minute. This is because pigs cannot sweat. Furthermore, the animals can froth and vomit during extreme heat stress.”
The slaughterhouse says it has a tight schedule with which they try to prevent animal suffering during transport. “Unfortunately, if drivers are too early, we have no space on our site, so it sometimes happens that they wait in the shade along the road,” said a spokesperson.
From 35 degrees there is a ban on livestock transport. However, the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) can already act above 27 degrees. That did not happen in this case because the slaughterhouse also says it will take measures below 35 degrees.
“A quarter fewer pigs in the wagons.”
“At those temperatures, we place a quarter fewer pigs in the trucks. We place fans on the site so that the waiting trucks blow through and we keep the asphalt continuously wet.”
On Wednesday, the slaughterhouse will take even more measures because of the transport ban. “Drivers can unload with us until eleven o’clock, because the temperature is not yet above 35 degrees. The afternoon shift is cancelled.”
“In practice, the car is a Turkish bath.”
Eyes on Animals believes that the welfare of the pigs should also be looked at more closely with temperatures above 27 degrees. “We often see cross-ventilated cattle trucks when transporting pigs. It looks like the wind blows through, but in practice it’s just like a Turkish steam bath.”
The animal organization therefore advocates air-conditioning trucks for all animals. “These trucks are only used for breeding stock, such as cattle. These animals yield more. That is very sad for the pigs.”
During an inspection, Eyes on Animals filmed how the pigs were lying in the trucks.
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