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By Anja Weber
Like many farmers, those in the Ehrenberg Agricultural Producers' and Sales Cooperative some concerns. In addition to the growing bureaucracy, these are primarily economic. "We have to continue to develop and ensure that people are paid fairly. To do this, we also need fair prices for agricultural products so that regional producers can survive," says Florian König. He is the Chairman of the Board. The farmers set out to find partners who would buy their meat and process it further. And so a new cooperation has emerged. The livestock producers see this as a way of overcoming the agricultural crisis.
In order to work more economically, milk production was closed last year. The employees were of retirement age. Finding new staff is not easy. In addition, the cooperative would have had to invest around two million euros in new facilities. "Giving up the dairy cows was a difficult step, but it was the right one," says Markus Landrock, Head of Animal Production. Now things are looking up again.
Do not transport animals hundreds of kilometers
But getting rid of the dairy cows was not enough. There are currently 85 suckler cows in the barns, plus 26 bulls and over 50 calves. Sales markets have to be found for the meat that also pay a fair price to the farmers. Some buyers for the Hohnstein cattle have existed for some time. With the new plans, the topic of regional marketing has now come more to the fore. And when Florian König says regional, he means it. "We are also concerned with animal welfare. It can't be right that the animals have to be transported hundreds of kilometers," he says.
Short distances are important. And that's why they looked around for partners in the local area to sell the animals to. Master butcher Bastian Pohlingk, the head of the Butcher's shop Dünnebier in Bad Schandauthought it was a good idea. It is less than eight kilometers as the crow flies from Hohnstein to his store. He has recently been certified with the "Gutes von hier" label. This is awarded by the Landschaf(f)t Zukunft association. It develops and maintains a network for regional producers from various sectors. And the new cooperation with the Hohnstein animal producers fits in perfectly with this.
The young master butcher is already working with the Hotel Elbresidenz and the Restaurant "Zum Franz" in Bad Schandau. He and his team also cook for the kindergartens in Rathmannsdorf and the spa town of Rathen, as well as the children of the childminder in Ehrenberg. He and his team focus on sustainability. "We try to ensure that nothing is left over. Everything is processed. The bones are used to make the sauce, for example," he says. And the feedback from his customers and their parents proves him right. It's not a canteen kitchen meal, he says, but real craftsmanship. But that requires good products, which ultimately come at a price.
The cooperation between him and the Hohnstein farmers was even extended. Because the latter had a completely different idea. After the dairy cows were given up, there was space in the large facility. Pig farming was started as a bit of fun. And of course, the butcher got involved again. "When we were making sausages, we realized that the meat was of excellent quality," he says. The farmers agree that this is mainly due to the feed. Grain and hay come from the production of the Bio-Weideland GmbH a subsidiary of Leag. It cultivates 750 hectares of arable land and 450 hectares of grassland.
And because they had impressed the master butcher with their quality, pigs are now being fattened especially for him in Hohnstein. There are currently ten of them. They are raised entirely on straw, which is why they are also called straw pigs. This form of rearing is particularly species-appropriate. They practically enjoy a happy pig's life in Hohnstein. And you can see that on the plate, the men agree.
