Baden-Württemberg: Hauk fears the end of local pork

Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) - No more pork from Baden-Württemberg - according to Agriculture Minister Peter Hauk (CDU), this could be a reality in ten years.

Baden-Württemberg: Hauk fears the end of local pork

Stuttgart (dpa / lsw) - No more pork from Baden-Württemberg - according to Agriculture Minister Peter Hauk (CDU), this could be a reality in ten years. The level of supply is currently still 40 percent, said Hauk in an interview with the "Stuttgarter Zeitung" and "Stuttgarter Nachrichten" on Tuesday. When asked whether there might be no more pork from Baden-Württemberg in ten years, he said: "That's the fear I have."

According to Hauk, countries like Spain and Poland are massively upgrading pig farming. And according to his information, even the pig farmers in Baden-Württemberg obtain 40 percent of their piglets from abroad. Most of the animals come from Denmark. "It is important to me: better quality from the country than the mass from abroad," said the minister.

In order to strengthen domestic pig farming, Hauk calls for looser requirements for companies at the federal level. Because stables typically emit noise and odors, they need special permits from the authorities. In addition, they cannot be built everywhere and must be kept at a distance from residential areas. Hauk criticizes too much regulation and bureaucracy here. "I understand that when it comes to water and soil. But no one has ever died from smells," he said. Smaller companies need more freedom.