The Dutch slaughterhouse Gosschalk in the city of Epe is ordered to stop operations from Saturday, Carola Schouten, the Dutch Minister of Agriculture, announced on Friday.
On Monday, undercover footage made at the facility showed pigs and cows being tortured before they were slaughtered. The footage caused online outrage in the Netherlands.
Last year, a researcher from the animal welfare organization Varkens in Nood (Pigs in Need) worked undercover for a month at the Gosschalk slaughterhouse and filmed horrific actions.
Pigs and cows were kicked and beaten hard, dragged by their ears and given continuous electric shocks.
During his training, the researcher was warned about camera surveillance; employees pointed out the blind spots where they could torture animals without being filmed. He was also urged to hit the animals harder to make them move faster.
Our undercover footage makes it painfully clear that the horrific beatings in this slaughterhouse are not incidents. They are a direct result of failing supervision and an extremely animal-unfriendly corporate culture, Varkens in Nood said.
The owners of the slaughterhouse are fully responsible for this daily animal suffering, they added.
Warning: The following footage made by Varkends in Nood may distress some viewers.
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