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Eyes on Animals GoodNewsletter

October 2014

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This GoodNewsletter is sponsored by the Amsterdam Bag Company (A.B.C.). A.B.C. sells high quality non-leather women's purses. 

Website: www.amsterdambagcompany.com

Good news during our two-day seminar in Turkey

Last weekend Eyes on Animals organized a two-day seminar in Turkey on 'How to Reduce Suffering During Slaughter' together with the Animal Welfare Foundation and the student veterinarian club from Istanbul University. We invited slaughterhouse managers and veterinarians, companies that manufacture slaughterhouse equipment, meat companies and supermarkets. All players that are responsible for the low-level of welfare in the Turkish slaughterhouses right now, but also with the power to make real changes for the animals. More than 100 people came!

Aside from being very satisfied with the number of people who attended the seminar and their enthusiasm to learn, we have some more good news to tell. During the seminar we found out that for the first time downer animals are now being put out of their misery (stunned) at a slaughterhouse in Turkey. Normally in Turkey such animals are put on a trolley, crane or dragged into the slaughterhouse while still conscious, causing severe pain and fear. But Et Pinar slaughterhouse in Izmir now has a stun-gun to make downer-animals first unconscious, putting an end to their suffering. They use it on animals that are accidented from the transport or arrive sick and thus cannot walk any more on their own. The idea to put unfit animals out of their misery quickly and humanely is a new concept in Turkey and a VERY important first step towards better welfare! We hope more slaughterhouses will copy Et Pinar soon.

Read more about the seminar here.

Further improvements at Leeuwarden cattle market

On October 10th we held a meeting with several board members of the Leeuwarden cattle market and the veterinarian. Purpose of the discussion was to talk about our recent visit of the cull-cow market and see where we could make further improvements together. They have agreed to all three of our suggestions: 1) building a permanent gentle-sloped ramp to ease loading, 2) add surveillance camera's, and 3) increase ventilation.

Read more

Vion slaughterhouse adapts 'restraint box' after our visit

Eyes on Animals has visited the cattle slaughterhouse of Vion in Brabant (the Netherlands) more than once. The slaughterhouse is always willing to let us in and is always open for discussion. During one of our recent visits in the late summer we observed that their restraint box was too short for some of the cows being stunned and slaughtered that day. The back door of the restraint box was coming down on their backs. Reason? The restraint box was 15 years old. Since then, cows have become longer due to genetic selection and better feed. We immediately recommended to them that they invest in a longer box and two weeks ago they informed us that they have extended it 20 cm and put in a new floor. It is important that Eyes on Animals is regularly on the ground to notice these sorts of things, and keep management on their toes!

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