Federal Council decides on the future of sow husbandry in Germany
Next Friday, the Federal Council will decide whether sow farmers will in future be allowed to perform isoflurane anesthesia for piglet castration themselves. The previous veterinary reservation is to be lifted and farmers to be able to carry out the stunning themselves. This decision will point the way for the future development of sow husbandry and piglet rearing in Germany. If it remains that only veterinarians are allowed to perform isoflurane anesthesia, this method will not be economically viable for most companies. It is to be expected that many German sow farmers will then give up and piglet production will migrate to neighboring Member States, where there are stunning methods for farmers.
An alternative to stunning is boar fattening with and without vaccination against boar odor. However, the experience of the slaughterhouses shows that many customers do not accept boar meat because of its specific properties. This means that the sales opportunities for both boar and Improvac boar meat are very limited. The smaller a slaughterhouse and the fewer sales channels the company has, the more so. For example, a slaughterhouse that mainly supplies butchers and medium-sized customers has little opportunity to market boar meat. Even traditional sales markets in neighboring countries cannot be served with boar meat because it is not used for the production of raw ham and raw sausage.
As an intermediary between agriculture and meat customers, the German slaughterhouses endeavor to keep all alternatives to piglet castration (boar fattening, improvac, castration with anesthesia) open for agriculture. All procedures are accepted by the industry and corresponding discussions have been held with all meat customers. As a result, it can be assumed that castration with anesthesia must be predominant in the coming years in order to maintain the functionality of the German pork market. This can only succeed if the farmer is given stunning methods that he can use himself.
