1/2 Heat stress in pigs in front of Vion.
Pigs suffer unnecessarily long in extreme heat at Vion slaughterhouse, according to Eyes on Animals. According to them, the slaughterhouse in Boxtel is doing too little to prevent animal suffering. On Wednesday a truckload of pigs was waiting in front of the gate of Vion in the full sun. That happened a few weeks ago. Eyes on Animals again made images of the animals with heat stress on Wednesday and states that Vion should do better.
“Vion is not doing its job well, they have to tackle this problem. They are the largest slaughterhouse in the Netherlands, so they must also be the best, right?” says Lesley Moffat, director of Eyes on Animals. On Wednesday, at the end of the afternoon, she herself stood by the cattle truck in the full sun and saw that the pigs were suffering from the heat. “Pigs are very sensitive to heat, they can’t sweat.”
“It went well for a very large part of the day, but not at the end of the day.”
Vion slaughters about 20,000 animals per day, 1,250 animals per hour. As soon as there is a disruption in the process at the abattoir, there is a queue in front of the door. The truck with pigs was parked right in front of the slaughterhouse on Wednesday.
Derk Oorburg, veterinarian at Vion, indicates that this situation is not what they want. “This is also not what we agreed. We have additional measures, especially with these temperatures. We want to be able to regulate the supply smoothly. If the car cannot go into the shade, the car must continue to drive. If there really is no other option, the car has to wait in the shade.”
According to Vion, the majority of drivers adhere to the agreement to continue driving in heat. “It went well for a very large part of the day, but not at the end of the day. In all other cases it went well.”
When asked whether Vion should no longer be on top of it, Oorburg says: “We have to do better and be sharper. If we see cars, we have to take action. We don’t want it to happen again, but it does. it’s human work.”
“Other slaughterhouses have employees driving around to check that no one is standing still.”
Four years ago, Vion had a roof made, with fans next to it. According to Moffat, that was placed at the request of Eyes on Animals. But the shelter is not enough.
“There can be six cars there. As soon as there is a malfunction at the slaughterhouse or there are traffic jams on the way, you really have a problem with animal welfare. If you’re seventh or eighth in line, you’ll have to wait. Vion has to order that the cars keep moving. Other slaughterhouses have employees driving around to check that no one is standing still. They often also have nebulizers that provide cooling for the animals.”
On Wednesday, due to the high temperatures, Vion decided not to allow animals in the slaughterhouse after 1 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.
ALSO READ:
Pigs suffer a lot from the heat with a long queue for the slaughterhouse
Pig whisperer: ‘Vion is guilty of animal abuse’