Pension pig

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During the First World War, domestic pigs were referred to as pension pigs , which officially belonged to urban residents to ensure self-sufficiency with meat, but were raised in the country to circumvent management regulations. The terms balcony , cellar or salon pig also belong in this context .

history

In order to supplement the small quantities of meat available on purchase tickets during the First World War , the importance of self-sufficiency also increased significantly in cities in Germany. Small livestock farming, such as poultry or rabbits, was of great importance .

In addition, the keeping of pigs increased significantly. The number of house slaughters grew sharply until the summer of 1916. Since then, private slaughtering has also been subject to approval. The owners had to provide proof that the animals had been kept in their own household for at least six weeks.

Some city dwellers bought already fattened pigs in the country and tried to feed them somehow at home - these animals were called cellar, balcony or salon pigs.

The possibility of keeping pigs in city households was limited. In order to circumvent the regulations, the animals of the urban buyers remained in many cases in the country until they were slaughtered, so they were given “ retirement ”. At the time of slaughter, the purchase contract, which was at least six weeks old, was presented as evidence of the six-week ownership.

This circumvention of the regulations took on a mass character and sparked political debate. The pension pig was seen in part as an expression of social inequality. In 1916, the social democratic side called for an end to pension pig keeping, because this would only give the property owners the opportunity to get additional meat beyond the official rations. Agricultural advocates argued against this. They saw in the pension pigs and the facilitation of house slaughter a possibility to increase the meat production overall.

Ultimately, the critical stance prevailed. In May 1917 it was decided that the time spent in the household should be twelve weeks instead of six. The keeping of pigs in urban households then fell sharply. Only relatively few wealthy households were able to house their pigs for such a long period of time.

literature