Dutch poultry farmers to be fined for catching chickens by legs
Frozen Whole Chicken
Meat
Netherlands
Published May 30, 2023
Original content
Improper catching of chickens leads to injury and suffering to poultry, animal advocates insist. This year, an administrative court in Rotterdam, following an enforcement request from the animal welfare foundation Wakker Dier, ruled that catching chickens by the legs is prohibited under European law and that the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) must enforce this legislation. The NVWA is currently enforcing this rule by imposing a Periodic Penalty Order during the transition period, which requires poultry companies to adjust their operations by August 15, 2024. Since 2020, Wakker Dier has been pursuing lawsuits against the rough trapping of chickens by the legs, resulting in about ten million chickens suffering serious injuries every year, such as open bone fractures, especially wings, and severe bruises. This fishing method has been banned in Europe since 2004. However, almost all chickens in the Dutch poultry sector are caught this way. After years of ...
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