German government wants to postpone castration ban

The German coalition parties CDU and SPD want to postpone the ban on the castration of piglets without anesthetic by 2 years. The ban is now scheduled to come into effect from 2019.

The German government announced this on Tuesday, October 2, after the coalition parties had held crisis talks over the past 24 hours. In a statement, they say they can continue together. Numerous discussion points were discussed during the consultation, such as the emigration policy and the diesel conflict.

Postponement of 2 years
The ban on castration was also discussed. Until recently, it appeared that the ban on the castration of piglets without anesthetic would come into effect from 2019; to big annoyance from German pig farmers, suppliers and slaughterhouses. They took to the streets in protest.

Apparently this had an effect, because the German government wants to postpone the ban by 2 years. However, this does not mean that it will actually be postponed. The private member's bill still has to be worked out and then approved by the Bundestag, the parliament of Germany.

Wouter Job

Wouter Baan is editor-in-chief of Boerenbusiness. He also focuses on dairy, pig and meat markets. He also follows (business) developments within agribusiness and interviews CEOs and policymakers.

w.baan@boerenbusiness. Nl

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