Cooking habits are also changing. “We are the generation of pan fryers,” says Stephan Kruse, who observes trends at the Vion slaughterhouse group and maintains relationships with farmers. “We buy minute schnitzel, mince, what’s quick. Hardly anyone makes the roast pork that grandma had in the oven for hours on Sundays,” says Kruse.
The changing population structure could also play a role. Many people do not eat pork for religious reasons, Muslims and Muslima, for example. Keeping pigs would also be difficult in hot, arid regions. For this reason, pork does not have a great tradition in many cultures.
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Scandals in the slaughterhouses and at the fattening farms have also shaken up consumers. Now politicians are pushing for better housing conditions and more space for the animals in the barn. But there is uncertainty among farmers, says Torsten Staack from the pig farmers’ interest group. “Everyone wants more animal welfare – but nobody wants to pay for it! How are farmers supposed to convert their stables? They are stuck at their own expense, and they don’t even get the necessary conversion permits.”