Feathers protrude from the sides of the wire-mesh cages, while the ‘laying hens' are crammed on top of one another and haphazardly packed into the narrow cages. The animals can barely move—there is so little space in the transport containers. Their toes clutch onto the wire flooring of the cages to find support. Meanwhile, droppings fall through the mesh floor onto the animals in the cages below. Seven cages are stacked on top of each other.
A total of 9,408 animals are transported in this way on a truck from Belgium to Poland—presumably to a slaughterhouse—covering more than 900 km, with a pure driving time of around 13 hours. All of them are sentient individuals, forced into crowded containers like inanimate objects, where they can hardly move. None of the hens knows what will happen to her. They can only endure and suffer their fate. According to EU regulations, the animals must be given water and feed at least every 12 hours. While we can see that the containers are equipped with a watering system, the hoses supplying water are hanging disconnected from the ceiling. And even if water were available, not all animals would be able to access it due to the overcrowded cages.
Adding to this, the transporter is covered on both sides with tarpaulins, which significantly restricts ventilation. This can have serious consequences for the animals, especially at higher temperatures inside the truck. Due to the lack of air circulation, heat can build up—particularly when the chickens are as tightly packed as in this case.
We follow the transport and request a police inspection. The officers also determine that, among other issues, the animals are loaded too densely and cannot be properly cared for on board. They document the violations. However, with nearly 10,000 chickens, it is almost impossible to carry out an emergency unloading or transfer—even if the violations would justify it. The transport is therefore allowed to continue in order to avoid causing further delays for the animals.
We will file a complaint with the responsible authorities and follow up on what consequences there will be for the transporter and the organizer of the transport. Furthermore, we will continue to advocate for shorter transport times and for a ban on these outdated wire cages.
