Pig facility planned next to German govt guesthouse

20-03-2009 | Home | News

Adjacent to Castle Meseberg, known as the guest house for the German government, 60 km north of Berlin, a new pig facility is planned for 1,450 pigs.

Bad smells are expected, and that’s why the foundation owning the castle has called the development ‘outrageous’, according to Germany’s largest newspaper Bild.

The prestigeous 18th century castle, restored for €25 million, has already received guests like the former American president George W. Bush and the former French president Jacques Chirac.

“There are thousands of empty pig houses throughout Brandenburg,” claimed chairman Hans Heinrich von Srbik to a German press agency. “They should have known that they were dealing with a location with high sensitivity.”

No problem
The cooperation Seebeck, owning the pig operation, does not consider this as a problem. “There is more than one kilometre between pig house and guesthouse and often the wind blows any bad odours away,” manager Mogens Nielsen replied.

Operations at the new finishing house, are to start in May. Brandenburg state officials claim there’s nothing to be done, as the producers abide by all regulations, like creating a new ventilation system and a modern manure deposit. A permit for an earlier pig farm from 2006 at the same location is still valid.

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