Pigs die after falling into manure pit when barn floor collapses

Pigs on a factory farm. Photo: Depositphotos.com
Pigs on a factory farm. Photo: Depositphotos.com

Dozens of pigs have died after the metal floor of the barn they were housed in collapsed and they fell 1.5 metres into the manure pit underneath.

The fire brigade were called to the farm in Nunspeet late on Saturday afternoon but did not finish their rescue mission until 10.30 pm. ‘The animals weight 130 kilos and could not get out of the pit themselves,’ a spokesman told broadcaster NOS.

The cause of the floor collapse is unclear but the spokesman said that the metal may have been corroded by the gasses from the pit. It is unclear exactly how many animals died but the barn housed 240 and around 100 fell in, local newspaper De Stentor said.

Last year, MPs voted against a motion drawn up by pro-animal PvdD which would have forced the government to draw up a plan to phase out the use of manure pits – where animals’ excrement and urine drops through a metal floor into a tank below.

The party said that in 2019, the fire brigade was called out 240 times to rescue animals which had fallen into the pits, which is the equivalent of nearly five times a week.

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