A million chickens killed because of insecticide eggs scandal?

Dutch demonstration at farm against gassing chickens for money

This photo shows demonstrators at a Dutch chicken farm where there is a threat of many chickens being gassed because of the insecticide eggs scandal. The slogans, from left to right, say: Chickens have feelings too; Animals are not throwaways – Party for the Animals; Stop unnecessary gassing; The government abandons chickens.

Translated from Dutch NOS TV:

Demonstrations at chicken farms which choose to gas birds

Today, 14:04

Six animal welfare organizations are protesting today at poultry businesses which are raising chickens infected with Fipronil [insecticide]. The protests take place at two poultry companies in Drenthe province.

… The demonstrations are at a company in Odoornerveen with 60,000 chickens and a company in Witteveen with 72,000 chickens, writes regional broadcaster RTV Drenthe. Yesterday, 300,000 chickens were already killed.

It is expected that in the Netherlands a total of one million chickens will be killed, says Eric Hubers of agricultural organisation LTO. …

Anne Bron from Drachtstercompagnie village, like the majority of poultry farmers, has decided to keep the chickens alive. “They are going to diet,” she says. “Fipronil accumulates in the belly fat and if it’s ok, then the insecticide will go out of the chickens with the belly fat.”

It is expected to take six to eight weeks before the chickens will be ‘clean’ again. They can only bring in money again when they will be free of Fipronil. … If they are kept alive, they will cost money because they have to eat while they do not bring anything in meanwhile [Their eggs cannot be sold]. The infected animals are not allowed to go to the slaughterhouse, so they are gassed in the stables.