Page 6 - Australian Pork Newspaper

Drastic changes ahead for German pig production
EARLIER this month a bill was accepted in the federal council of Germany’s parliament, which will see sow stalls phased out during the insemination period and much stricter rules ap- plied in the lactation pe- riod.
these conditions.
This legislation is ex-
Nordic
News
by ASHLEY NORVAL
Though there are some political steps ahead be- fore this is officially leg- islated, sources within the Danish Agriculture and Food Council – who are in close contact with the German Farmer’s Associ- ation, DBV – indicate that a lessening of these condi- tions is highly unlikely.
will be forced to shut down, likely meaning more weaners would be imported into Germany from Denmark and the Netherlands.
a further importation of approximately 11 million 30kg weaners from Den- mark and the Netherlands annually.
After three years – fol- lowing implementation of the legislation – producers must submit a declaration to the authorities stating whether or not they intend to continue pig production or stop.
As a result of these new restrictions, it is estimated that up to 30 percent of the German pig industry
German pig production is the second largest in Europe, with 1.85 mil- lion breeding sows and
These changes have come about after years of discussions between German politicians, however have now been passed due to the green government currently in power.
After five years, pro- ducers must either cease pig production or submit an application to build to authorities.
• For the first eight days after mating, sows must have access to 5sq m, in- cluding a minimum laying area of 1.3sq m
It seems the Greens are supportive of an assis- tance package but only on the condition that animal production in Germany will be drastically re- duced.
• An activity area
• A ‘retreat’ area where submissive sows can es- cape from aggressive sows, and a minimum length of 15m to help this
Scarily, it seems that these deals have been struck as a result of a political compromise – I have no information on what the original proposal was, however it seems clear that the Greens do not see a fu- ture for animal produc- tion in Germany.
pected to be implemented by January 1, 2021.
In order to force pro- ducers to take action and not delay on these changes, politicians have added further conditions.
Further to this, after eight years they must have changed their system.
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The transition period for the mating unit is eight years, and the new legis- lation will mean the fol- lowing:
It is likely that there will be major flow-on effects throughout European pig production as a result of this proposed legislation.
• Sows can only be confined during mating and this will likely be a number of hours rather than days
About $A500 million has been allocated to as- sist German producers with these changes, but is currently a part of the cor- onavirus crisis package, meaning that the funds must be used by the end of 2021.
• Existing systems can be maintained during transitions but only if sows are able to lie on their side with their legs stretched out
DBV will be working towards extending this timeframe and increasing the support available, but it is early days.
• Feed stalls or insemi- nation stalls, which must always remain open in- cluding during feeding
• No changes are antici- pated to the gestation unit. For the farrowing unit, the following changes
It is incredibly disheart- ening and quite frankly concerning that such high restrictions can be forced so quickly on an industry by the government, par- ticularly considering that it will mean the exit of many family-owned small to medium-size farms.
apply: •Anareaof6.5sqm
per sow
• Maximum five days in
confinement – currently 35 days
• A transition period of 15 years, where after 12 years each producer must have submitted an application to authorities to build in order to meet
One can only hope this will never happen in Aus- tralia.
Page 6 – Australian Pork Newspaper, August 2020
Sow stalls are being ruled out in Germany.
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