Where the pigs feel great

Created: 10/04/2022, 3:00 p.m

By: Markus Schwarzkugler

The piglets have plenty of space and straw at farmer Aigner in Altham, which also pleases little Korbinian.

© Markus Schwarzkugler

Ludwig Aigner from Altham is doing pioneering work in the district with his new barn.

He is one of five farmers in the district who run an animal welfare stable.

Altham – The pigs are on time.

ahead of time.

Shortly before 10 a.m., farmer Ludwig Aigner opens the hatch of his trailer, the first piglets slip out and, at first somewhat leisurely, make their way to their box in a home that is brand new, not only for them.

According to the Office for Food, Agriculture and Forestry (AELF) Ebersberg-Erding, this is an "outdoor climate feel-good oasis".

It is located in the Altham district of Erding and was only recently completed.

Now it was time for the arrival of the first 30 of soon 330 straw pigs.

"You're doing something like pioneering work here in the district," says Katharina Binsteiner to Aigner.

In the AELF she is the head of the agriculture department and deputy head of the authorities.

Although there are a few comparable straw pig husbandries in the district, the stable is the only one in the district in terms of its design.

But what makes him so special?

In the classic, conventional pigsty, says Aigner, a pig that weighs up to 120 kilos has 0.75 square meters of space.

With him it is 1.2 square meters.

In addition, there is a thick straw covering (on a concrete floor) in contrast to the classic fully slatted floor.

Cool in summer, warm in winter

Thanks to the high wooden beam roof - the wood comes from his own forest - Aigner can ventilate well in summer and ensure an open-air atmosphere.

The foil walls – so-called “curtains” – can be raised.

In winter, on the other hand, they can be closed.

When it's particularly cold, the 36-year-old lowers a kind of lid from above onto the animals' box.

From there, transparent plastic slats hang down, which serve as walls.

The now somewhat more compact home makes it more comfortable for the animals, but they can still walk through these "walls" and stay outside in their box - comparable to when a swimmer leaves the interior of the thermal bath through the slats towards the outdoor pool.

Aigner has underfloor heating under the manure heap, which he can use to heat the drinking water for the animals.

"Then they'd rather drink and not freeze." There's dry food to eat - a mixture of grain, soy and minerals.

Mucking out two to three times a week.

Aigner, married to his wife Kathi and father of their small sons Ludwig and Korbinian, raves that he could just stand there for an hour and watch the animals, who feel really good, scurrying around.

The stable measures 35 by 18 meters and offers space for twelve boxes, also known as pens.

Eleven of these will be gradually filled up every 14 days with 30 piglets each, which are around two months old.

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Stall costs half a million euros

Animal welfare has long been a hot topic.

As the AELF emphasizes, this is also in the interest of farmers in order to keep healthy and productive animals in the long term.

In order for chicken, cow, pig and Co. to feel comfortable, everything has to be right: from the run to the feed, air and light to the space available.

All this means a lot of planning work, large investment sums and usually more time and effort for farmers.

Aigner family from Altham.

© Markus Schwarzkugler

Aigner says that he has to put down roughly half a million euros for the stable.

Against the background of the price explosions, he is not sure whether he would have tackled the construction in the current situation.

Animal welfare stables remain a niche

More animal welfare is funded by the Free State – at 20 percent or, as in Aigner's case, a maximum of 80,000 euros.

Aigner is a conventional farmer, and he also knows that not every colleague can afford such an animal welfare stable.

"It remains a niche," says Binsteiner, especially since there is not enough consumer demand for more expensive meat to do it across the board.

The classic stables with fully slatted floors will continue to be needed.

Aigner was a part-time farmer for a long time.

He later trained to become a master farmer.

He last had 150 sows in his old pigsty, his other focus is on arable farming.

Now he dares to take the step into full-time employment again.

"It takes courage," says Binsteiner about his project.

After all, it is not clear how high the demand will be.

Erding is a cattle and arable farming district.

There are currently only 34 fattening pig farms in the district, in contrast to 659 cattle farms.

In total, not just for pigs, the AELF in the Erding district currently lists five animal welfare stables.

There are twelve in his entire service area, including two organic farms.

Aigner has two major customers in the butcher shops Wiest in Eitting and Rampf in Maria Thalheim.

How much his meat then costs at the counter, he cannot say in general.

The effort costs.

The pigs, all of which he gets from a farmer in Grucking, are slaughtered when they are around four months old.

Until then, they should feel very comfortable.