Migros and Micarna opt for the inhalation method

Early, consumer-friendly implementation of painless piglet castration

Migros, together with its meat processing company Micarna SA, uses the inhalation method for piglet castration, castration under anesthesia and pain relief. The implementation will take place as early as July 1, 2009. The main reason for this attitude: the method enjoys the greatest acceptance among consumers.

The attitude of Migros and Micarna is clear: animal welfare and the needs of consumers are clearly in the foreground. Boar fattening would be the best solution for animal welfare because this method is the only one that leaves the piglets intact. The fact is that the proportion of carcasses contaminated with odor is too high and the necessary utilization of this meat is not regulated. In our part of the world, such meat is not widely accepted by customers. Therefore, boar fattening is currently only suitable for niche production. Migros wants to continue to offer its customers high-quality pork at attractive prices in the future.

Alternatively, there are two possible methods: castration with anesthesia and pain relief - the inhalation method - and vaccination against boar odor.

The inhalation method is the quickest to implement: it is practicable and is rated and accepted by consumers as clearly positive and better than vaccination, as a study by the market research institute 'Link' has shown.

Although the vaccine is not approved in any other European country except Switzerland, Migros was still open to the vaccination method last June. In the meantime, the Federal Veterinary Office (FVO) has set out how to deal with pigs and their carcasses vaccinated against boar taint. When vaccinated animals are delivered, additional quality assurance measures are required in order to ensure traceability.

To date, around 1,3 million male piglets are castrated annually in Switzerland without anesthesia. For the benefit of animal welfare and the needs of customers, Migros is therefore implementing the inhalation method early from July 1, 2009 at the latest - and not from January 2010 as stipulated by law.

Source: Courtepin [Micarna]