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last update:May 9, 2008
Germany: petition against unanaesthesised castration
The German animal welfare organisation Deutscher Tierschutzbund will start
a national petition against the practice of castration of male piglets without
anaesthetics, the Dutch agricultural newspaper Agrarisch Dagblad
reports.
The organisation called on agricultural minister Horst Seehofer to launch
initiatives that will eventually lead to a ban on this practice.
Along
with Naturland, an organic growing and supply organisation, the welfare group
would like to see alternatives used, like castrating after anaesthesising using
gas.
Not ready for use
The German agricultural federation
(DBV), however, said this method is not ready for use as yet.
A legal ban
can only be implemented, German agricultural organisations say, when useful
results have been proved in e.g. the research project PigCas, done throughout
the EU.
Turn to retail
Apart from that, the DBV suggested the
welfare organisations should turn to retail in an attempt to influence consumer
behaviour. "That way, agriculture could respond quickly," DBV said, referring to
the way the same issue was solved in the Netherlands in the end of last
year.
Every year, in Germany 20 million piglets are castrated without
anaesthetics.
Related websites:
• German Agricultural
Federation (DBV; in German)
• Agrarisch Dagblad (in Dutch)
• Deutscher
Tierschutzbund (in German)
• Naturland
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