Injured Pigs at FDF Leader at Van den Oever VOF in Sint Hubert

Pigs with serious welfare problems at Mark van den Oever

Ongehoord has published footage of pigs filmed at Van den Oever VOF, the company owned by the Farmers Defense Force leader (Mark Van den Oever). The footage, taken in April 2020, shows "Better Leven" pigs in bare pens on slatted floors beneath a manure pit. Several animals have red, inflamed eyes and necrotic wounds on their ears.

Eye inflammation

Pigs with red eyes indicate that the animals are living in an unhealthy barn environment. Dust and high ammonia concentrations (from, among other things, manure pits under the barn floor) irritate the mucous membranes of the nose and eyes. The eyes become inflamed, which is accompanied by pain and itching. Eye infections can become severe and lead to blindness. A WUR investigation found that ammonia concentrations were unhealthily high in 31% of the pig pens examined for finishing meat, leading to red, irritated eyes in 21.3% of the pens. (1)

Ear necrosis

Ear necrosis can be recognized by the black spots and bloody wounds on the ears of pigs. Ear necrosis is a consequence of ear biting. When pigs bite each other's ears, wounds develop that become infected by bacteria. The ears no longer receive a proper blood supply, and the tips of the ears die. As the infection progresses, the ear becomes thick and swollen. Eventually, bacteria can penetrate deeper into the body through the wounds and damage organs, causing the pig to become seriously ill and at risk of death. (2)

Biting

Ear biting is similar to tail biting and other forms of biting. It is a behavioral disorder primarily caused by boredom and insufficient stimulation. The pigs are unhappy and vent their stress and frustration on their peers. Other sources of frustration include poor barn climates, cohabitation with too many animals in a small space, or problems with feed composition and the method of feeding.(2) (3) Tail biting is a global problem in pig farming. Tail biting occurs on 50% of Dutch pig farms, both in conventional and organic farms (4). No specific damage figures are available for ear biting, but it is expected that the figures for ear biting will be similar to those for tail biting (2). A frequently used "measure" to somewhat limit damage from biting is the preventive tail docking of piglets shortly after birth. Tail docking is a painful procedure because the peripheral nerves of newborn piglets are already developed to the tip of the tail. A heated device is used to cut the tail without anesthesia, and the wound is simultaneously cauterized. However, tail docking does not offer a real solution. Outbreaks of tail biting also occur in pigs with clipped tail stumps. Moreover, the problem of tail biting can shift to ear biting, as can be seen in the images of Van den Oever VOF. (5)

About Van den Oever

VOF Van den Oever VOF on Kievitsdwarsweg in Sint Hubert specializes in fruit growing, Christmas tree cultivation, and pig fattening. The farm's pigsty has room for 1,000 finishing pigs with the Beter Leven quality mark (1 star) from the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals (Dierenbescherming), with "25% more space and toys for the pigs in each pen" (6) (7). The animals arrive at the farm when they are 10 weeks old and are fattened for four months to a slaughter weight of 120 kg. Van den Oever VOF receives European subsidies as part of the Common Agricultural Policy. In 2018, this amounted to €25,592.43 and in 2019 to €29,061.93. FDF directors told the Financieel Dagblad that the subsidy amounts published by RVO were 'incorrect' and that steps would be taken against the publication of this information by the Dagblad (10).