German propagator can continue to castrate himself

The Upper House in Germany approved new legislation on Friday 20 September, which allows breeders to perform castration of piglets themselves. As a result, no 'expensive vet' needs to be involved to counter the ban on castration without anesthetic, which will take effect from 2021. 

A condition of this new law is that multipliers are trained in administering the anesthetic gas. This requires a minimum of 12 training hours, after which an exam follows. It is also laid down by law that pig farmers must be subsidized to purchase the stunning equipment. The costs for this are estimated at €10.000.

Theme for years
The ban on castration of piglets without anesthesia has been a point of discussion in Germany for years. For a long time it looked as if the propagators would have to outsource the work to veterinarians. This led to a great deal of commotion in the sector, because this would be a cost-increasing measure. 

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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