Animal welfare organizations  Eyes on Animals  and  the Animal Welfare Foundation  are raising the alarm about the fate of so-called 'leftover piglets'. These are  young pigs that have been rejected due to health problems or growth abnormalities and

 are therefore prematurely culled, slaughtered. However, this

doesn't happen in the Netherlands, but in  Croatia  and  Spain . These transports   are horrific for the vulnerable animals.

Discarded piglets being transported to Croatia for slaughter, a 16.5-hour journey | Photo: screenshot  video Eyes on Animals/YouTube acces to water 

Waste piglets are discarded animals from  pig farming . They may have congenital defects, abscesses, or an umbilical hernia. Transporting these animals is not prohibited per se, but the conditions under which they are transported are. Thousands of waste piglets are transported from the Netherlands alone every week. Annually, this amounts to hundreds of thousands of young, vulnerable animals.

Residual piglets transported to Croatia

Eyes on Animals and  Animal Welfare Foundation followed two transports and observed the following violations:

  • Overcrowded compartments: piglets were lying on top of each other and could not easily reach the water.
  • Many piglets in deplorable condition, with large umbilical hernias, abscesses, bitten ears, abscesses, deformities and bitten ears.
  • No access to water en route.
  • Dead piglets on arrival.
    .

The transport to Croatia traveled nonstop for 16.5 hours, without rest, food, or water for the piglets. Upon arrival, they had to wait another hour and a half because the slaughterhouse wasn't open yet,  according to  Eyes on Animals.




Piglets left over in overloaded transport to Croatia | Photo: screenshot  video Eyes on Animals/YouTube

Risk of injury

It's not illegal to transport vulnerable residual piglets, but it is when transport poses serious risks to the animals' welfare. Conditions like an umbilical hernia pose a real risk of injury, as does overloading. The NVWA  told  the NOS that the observed violations occur because the inspectors can't be present everywhere.