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Dispute over pig farming in Binde: City council rejects concept!
In the Altmark district of Salzwedel, the dispute over pig breeding in Binde is causing a stir. The city council rejects the usage concept, while the courts force the facility to be downsized.
Dispute over pig farming in Binde: City council rejects concept!
The small town of Arendsee is currently abuzz. The city council rejected the mutual agreement for the controversial pig breeding in Binde with a clear 10 votes in favor, 5 against and 4 abstentions. But what is behind this decision? az online reports that the lack of clarity about whether this rejection affects the approval process raises questions.
Schweinzucht Binde GmbH, which belongs to the Swiss company Terra Grundwerte AG, has been criticized ever since. There are rumors about possible connections to the Lindhorst Group from Winsen/Aller. The director of Terra Grundwerte AG, Julia Mielke, plays a central role in this as she also works in various companies in the Lindhorst Group. Particularly explosive: Panos Beteiligungs GmbH, which holds 89% of the shares in Emeti AG, is the only shareholder in LFD Holding, which shares its headquarters with Pig Breeding Binde GmbH.
Legal dispute and structural defects
The legal difficulties never end. A ruling by the Magdeburg Higher Administrative Court, which was made last week, now requires the stables to be dismantled. The facility in Binde had been operated without a valid permit since 2006, which led to the subsequent cancellation of the building permit from 2013 in 2022. The number of animals must be reduced whopping from 30,000 sows to 8,000. This also shows the persistent work of the Binde citizens' initiative, which, together with the city council, has been fighting against the over-dimensioning of the system since 2013. MDR quotes the spokesman for the citizens' initiative, Christian Starck, who is pleased with the verdict.
A further level of concern was caused by a fire in April 2023, in which hundreds to thousands of animals died, while the damage was estimated at around one million euros. This was not the first incident of this kind; There was already a similar fire in 2020, which also resulted in animal losses. Animal welfare organizations have been criticizing the unacceptable conditions in pig farming for years.
What's next?
But what is the current situation on site? Pig farming appears to continue to operate normally, with feed deliveries and the animals making loud noises. The State Administration Office has issued a regulatory order prohibiting the use of unauthorized areas. However, it remains unclear how compliance with this order will be enforced. At the same time, the Altmarkkreis Salzwedel receives monthly reports on the implementation of an unclear usage concept and carries out controls. However, the public remains in the dark about the details. az online states that the exact contents of the usage concept are unknown.
With the city council's declaratory action, which is intended to clarify whether the original building permit has expired, it remains to be seen how the situation will develop. Mayor Norman Klebe is optimistic and sees the verdict as crucial for the quality of life and animal welfare in the region.
The next few weeks and months should be exciting as the citizens' initiative and the city of Arendsee continue to work for a sustainable solution.