GERMANY, Bonn. On Friday the Federal Council will decide whether sow farmers will be allowed to perform isoflurane anaesthesia for piglet castration themselves in the future. The current veterinary reservation will thus be lifted and farmers will be able to perform the anaesthesia themselves. This decision will point the way for the future development of sow husbandry and piglet rearing in Germany.
If it remains the case that only veterinarians are allowed to carry out isoflurane anaesthesia, this path will not be economically feasible for most farms. It is to be expected that many German sow farmers will then give up and piglet production will migrate to neighbouring Member States where there are approved stunning methods for farmers.
As a result, it can be assumed that castration with anaesthesia will have to prevail in the coming years in order to maintain the functionality of the German pork market. This can only succeed if the farmer is given stunning procedures that he can apply himself.