It almost makes us speechless from horror: The pig breeders lobby has now yet prevailed! After the meeting in the Chancellor’s Office, last night, the Union and the SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany) want to delay the prohibition of the anesthetic castration of piglets.

“The transitional period is therefore to be extended until the full ban by two years.
Originally this should come into force on 1 January 2019.
The ban on piglet castration had already been decided upon with the reform of the Animal Welfare Act 2013.

The farmers’ association had also urged a shift, considering the generally difficult economic situation of many pig farmers (!!!), and pointed out that so far there are no practicable alternatives.

Animal rights activists see it differently: In addition to the so-called boar fattening, there are also methods in which male piglets are sterilized by medication to prevent the development of unwanted boar aromas in the meat. In other countries, pig farmers are allowed to stun the few days old piglets, before castration with a knife. Required is only a short additional training. In Germany, a veterinarian would be responsible for this.

In Germany millions of piglets are still castrated a few days after birth without stunning.

According to data from the Federal Statistical Office in Germany, 28.4 million pigs are slaughtered. There are currently around 22,900 swine farms in Germany.

The german Minister of Agriculture Peter Hauk has welcomed the plan to postpone anesthetized piglet castration as a sign of animal welfare!! (yes! everyone read correctly)!!

“To think that the problem can be solved by allowing pig farming in Germany to die, and that pig farming continues abroad, under conditions that you can no longer control yourself, is hypocrisy and misunderstood animal welfare,” said Hauk in Stuttgart.

According to data from the Federal Statistical Office in Germany, 28.4 million pigs are slaughtered p.a. There are currently around 22,900 swine farms in Germany.
Spain is now Europe’s largest pig producer, Germany is the second.
However, in Europe, because China has the first place worldwide.

https://www.n-tv.de/wirtschaft/Koalition-zoegert-Betaeubungspflicht-hinaus-article20650599.html

My comment: One has to first imagine, what realy happens: in a few days old piglet, the farmer cuts the scrotum with his scalpel, without any anesthetic or analgesics, he pulls out the testicles, cuts through the spermatic cord, disinfects the wound and sets the piglet with bleeding testicles back again.

It’s a dirty deal! This government is the last dirt!
The sow holders had five years to switch to castration with anesthesia.
And in 2 years, the ranchers will “create” what they were not able to do in 5 years?
Of course, in those five years the sow holders would have had to invest something for animal welfare – and that’s not possible!!

Farmers are not only greedy, farmers are also dulled.
Today’s government of Germany is a political disgrace and a hell for the animals.

Who has the “eggs” to end the suffering?

Best regards, Venus