Prva rasprava nove vlade o patnji životinja za klanje

Prva usmena pitanja novoj vladi bila su vezana za neprihvatljivu patnju životinja za klanje. Postavila ih je zastupnica Esther Ouwehand državnom tajniku ministarstva ekonomskih poslova. Prema inzistiranju Stranke za životinje vlada će se založiti za postavljanje kamera u klaonicama.

Razlog za ispitivanje ministra bile su amaterske snimke akcijske organizacije Animal Rights koja je pokazala kako u jednoj belgijskoj klaonici pomalo krše sve zakone vezanih za dobrobit životinja i sigurnost prehrambenih proizvoda: “Što više moguće mesa za najmanju moguću cijenu: to doslovno znači masovno klanje diljem Europe – pa tako i u Nizozemskoj.”

U Nizozemskoj dnevno kolju više od milijun životinja. U jednom satu zakolju 650 svinja. Kontrolori NVWA-a nemaju ni pet sekundi da pregledaju svinju. Vijeće za sigurnost hrane izjavilo je da se sektor “ne boji kršiti zakon”. U Nizozemskoj su, dakle, brige o ophođenju s životinjama u klaonicama velike. Stranka za životinje smatra da se broj životinja za klanje mora drastično smanjiti. Osim toga, potrebno je da se u svakoj klaonici nalazi kamera, pri čemu bi slika morala biti dostupna javnosti kao i kontrolorima. Esther Ouwehand: “Što i vlada sada misli da je nadzor kamerama potreban je jedan veliki korak u dobrom smjeru. To ne bi smjelo biti opcionalno, već obavezno. I najbolje za dobrobit životinja je naravno: manje životinja za klanje.”

The first oral questions of the new Lower House were about the unacceptable animals suffering during slaughter. They were raised by Esther Ouwehand to the State Secretary of Economic Affairs. On the insistence of the Party for the Animals, the government will aim at camera supervision in slaughter houses.

The reason for interrogating the State Secretary was the undercover images of the organisation Animal Rights, which showed that almost all rules and regulations for animal welfare and food safety were structurally violated in a Belgian slaughter house. Ouwehand found this degrading treatment of animals in a slaughter house just across the border shocking, but not surprising. “As much meat as possible at prices as low as possible: it literally means mass slaughter throughout Europe – also in the Netherlands.”

In the Netherlands, over 1 million animals are killed every day. 650 pigs are slaughtered every hour. Inspectors of the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority get not even five seconds to check a pig. The Dutch Safety Board has also found that the sector does not shy away from violating the law. The Netherlands is also highly concerned about the treatment of animals in slaughter houses. The Party for the Animals believes that the number of animals slaughtered should be drastically reduced. In addition there should be cameras in every slaughter house, which images should be accessible to both inspectors and the public. Esther Ouwehand: “The fact that the government finds it essential to use camera supervision is a first step in the right direction. It should not be optional, but rather mandatory. The best option for animal welfare would of course be: to slaughter fewer animals.”