This funding acknowledges the efforts of farms that, throughout 2024, introduced practices to enhance animal living conditions, such as increasing space per animal, providing activity areas, and improving ventilation and cooling systems.
Of the total €3.5 million, around €2.8 million was granted to 50 pig farms — half a million euros more than in 2023, when 44 farms received support. In the cattle sector, 71 farms received almost €437,000 in total — 12 more farms than the previous year.
The aim of the program is to encourage farms to implement more environmentally friendly, species-appropriate, and climate-resilient animal husbandry methods, while also easing the financial burden on producers.
“Requirements for humane animal husbandry are increasing, but the investments needed to meet these standards place an additional burden on farmers, who are often already operating at the edge of profitability,” said Colette Boos-John, Thuringia’s Minister for Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
According to Boos-John, this financial support not only stabilizes farm economies but also creates an incentive for sustainable management and greater ecological responsibility.
The funding for pig and cattle farms comes from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). Additional support is also provided for the preservation of endangered livestock breeds, under the Joint Task for the Improvement of Agricultural Structures and Coastal Protection (GAK).
PigUA.info based on euromeatnews.com materials