Eyes on Animals has filed a complaint with the Dutch authorities about the agressive and very unprofessional handling of pigs by an employee of a Dutch transport company (Buurman) observed today at a Dutch pig collecting and export station. The pigs were being repeatedly hit very hard with a plastic paddle, rushed in groups of 40-50 leading to panic and bottle-neck jamming on the loading ramp, yelled at and one, showing signs of extreme stress (having difficulty moving forward, breathing heavily, turning red) was even kicked very hard leading to her becoming "unfit for transport" and the veterinarian refusing her. The handler then picked her up by her ear and hind leg and "dropped" her into a separate pen for sick/injured pigs held back from export. We are disappointed that he was only given a verbal warning to stop his behaviour and not a fine on the spot. Kicking animals and causing unnecessary panic during loading is illegal in the EU, but what use is this law when not enforced? We have been told by the VWA that our complaint is now in the hands of the AID to treat. Eyes on Animals will follow-up on the case.
Eyes on Animals -
01.04.2009 Agressive handling of pigs
 |
|||
 |
 |
 |
 |
Transport
All farmed animals are transported at least once in their lifetime. Journeys can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few weeks. Transport is known to be one of the most stressful experiences for animals. They are moved from a familiar territory to a new one and are held often under very crowded conditions. They get separated from each other and mixed with unfamiliar animals, which can lead to stress and fighting. Sometimes there is no water and feed available or the animals cannot reach it. Animals that wish to lie down during the journey are at risk of being trampled by the others. Sometimes conditions on board are very cold or very hot, leading to animals dying from hypothermia and suffocation. There are laws in place to prevent these types of problems, but there is very little official inspection during the journey to check if these laws are respected. Eyes on Animals regularly trails and checks livestock transport consignments to see if the welfare of the animals is respected during transit.
