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The Minister of Agriculture, Piet Adema, wants to introduce a ban on the use of electroshock equipment on animals in livestock farming. The aim is that as of July 1, 2025, it will no longer be permitted to propel animals with this type of electric equipment on farms and during transport.
The use of electroshock devices is now only permitted in exceptional circumstances. For example, the device may only be used for adult cattle and pigs that refuse to move. And only under the conditions that the animal in front of it has room to move, that the shocks do not last longer than 1 second, they are not administered repeatedly, and that the device is used only on the muscles of the hind legs. However, practice shows that electroshock equipment is still used too often and not according to the rules.
The ban will be submitted to both Houses as soon as possible, so that it can take effect on July 1, 2025. From then on, alternative tools must be used on the farm and during transport. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) will enforce this through random checks on farms and when animals are loaded onto trucks for transport outside the Netherlands.
Because there is little room in European legislation for stricter national rules to protect animals at slaughter, it is not possible to also impose the ban on slaughterhouses. It is therefore being investigated whether a policy rule can provide more clarity about the limited options for the use of electroshock equipment in slaughterhouses.
June 24, 2024/ The National Government/ The Netherlands.
https://www.rijksoverheid.nl
