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According to the “Kassensturz” report on painful hormone production in mares: livestock industry bans controversial drug.
Now it is final: The Swiss animal industry will ban the hormone preparation PMSG under private law as of September 1, 2022. This is announced by the Swiss Farmers’ Association (SBV) and the Association of Swiss Pig Breeders Suisseporcs. The reason: “The industry agreed that the use of such a preparation is not compatible with the high priority that animal welfare has in local agriculture.”
Prohibition applies to all animal categories
The hormone was dispensed with at the request of Suisseprocs and became an integral part of the SBV basic program “QM Schweizer Fleisch”. The two associations write: “All larger slaughterhouses in Switzerland require their suppliers to meet the requirements of ‘QM Swiss Meat’. This means that the agreed condition is binding for 95 percent of Swiss livestock farms as of September 1, 2022 and the use of PMSG is prohibited for all animal categories.”
As a first step, the associations are asking veterinarians to stop prescribing the hormone. From 2023, compliance with the new requirement will be monitored.
“Kassensturz” report brings about a turning point
This adjustment got rolling after “Kassensturz” had reported about this animal cruelty several times in the past. A post from 2015 shows for the first time how liters of blood are drawn from pregnant mares in South America. In the latest report from February 2022, “Kassensturz” showed that animal cruelty had moved from South America to Iceland. Also here: On Icelandic blood farms, breeders suck blood out of the jugular veins of pregnant mares by the liter with thick cannulas. For the production of the hormone PMSG. This is used in this country to make livestock faster and ready to conceive at the same time.
Meinrad Pfister, Central President of Suisseporcs, was surprised that the problem was not known. Immediately after the post, he announced in the “Kassensturz” studio: “Based on this report, we will propose to the central board on February 16 that an application be submitted to Suisse Guarantee. Namely that the hormone obtained under these circumstances is no longer used.”