Waiting Times at the Slaughterhouse During the Heat Wave – Birds Suffer from Heat Stress

A heat wave is currently sweeping across Germany. At the same time, the grilling season is in full swing, demand for meat is high—and so is the number of animal transports to slaughterhouses. For animals already stressed by transport, the high temperatures pose an additional, significant burden. 

Transporters often have to wait upon arrival at the slaughterhouse. Our team wanted to know what this means for the animals in these temperatures. We therefore investigated the heat protection measures in the waiting areas at a total of eleven poultry slaughterhouses in Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Lower Saxony. At five slaughterhouses, animals were still being delivered even during the afternoon’s intense heat. At three of these, there was no heat protection for the arriving animals. 

At one turkey slaughterhouse we observed—which had no shade in the holding area—the drivers parked their trucks, each carrying about 800 turkeys, in a nearby parking lot under trees. This allowed us to observe the animals up close. Although it was only morning and temperatures—at 23 degrees Celsius—were not yet very high, we already noticed significant signs of distress in the turkeys.

According to national regulations, animals being transported for slaughter may generally be transported for a maximum of 4.5 hours when outdoor temperatures exceed 30 degrees Celsius. Exceptions are made for transport in specially equipped vehicles with ventilation and watering systems. There are still no corresponding temperature limits for poultry—even though chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese are particularly sensitive to heat. 

We call for effective heat protection measures for animals waiting at all slaughterhouses and a general ban on animal transport during extreme temperatures.