Risk of animal welfare issues during transport of “rest piglets”

Every year, hundreds of thousands of Dutch piglets with medical conditions, such as umbilical hernias, are transported by lorry to Southern and Eastern Europe. In the Netherlands, their abnormalities make them unsuitable for regular pig breeding. Some of the piglets are slaughtered in the Netherlands, but others are transported to slaughterhouses in countries such as Croatia, Italy and Spain, where slaughtering is cheaper.

Nieuwsuur focused on the welfare of these animals and interviewed Bas Rodenburg, professor of Animal Welfare. He expressed his concern about the transport of these piglets: ‘This is a category of piglets that needs special attention. That also means you have a duty of care. That they are transported and slaughtered in a proper manner.’