The goose season also begins in November: Its first highlight is around Sankt Martin, followed by the Christmas goose. But this year there are significantly fewer geese on the market? especially in the fresh produce sector. This is reported by the Agricultural Market Information Society. “If you want a fresh goose from the region for the festival, you should order it soon,” says Irmgard Wolf, who with her husband in Eußenheim (Lkr. Main-Spessart) keeps geese and ducks.
Why are there fewer geese this year?
The scarce supply is due to avian influenza in the spring. This affected breeding goose populations in Germany in which the avian influenza virus was detected. The animals had to be killed to prevent spread. In March 2021, all chickens, ducks, geese and other farmed poultry were compulsory throughout Lower Franconia. “Many geese had to be culled, especially in the north of Germany. That is why there were far fewer animals on the market for us producers,” says Wolf.
Fewer parent animals for the geese – that also means fewer hatching eggs, which in turn results in fewer fattening geese. “In addition to Germany, Poland and Hungary were also badly affected by bird flu,” says Annika Nottensteiner, managing director of the Bavarian Poultry Association. From there, many geese come into the German trade. The corona crisis also affected poultry farmers. “Many were unsure how big the sales market would be and whether the catering industry would buy as many animals as it used to,” says Nottensteiner.
How long do fattened geese live?
Around 160 geese and 140 ducks grow up on the meadows around the Wolfs farm shop every year. “With the flowing waters of the Wern,” emphasizes the farmer. They are only fed with grain from their own farm. After some time in the warm rearing house, the young animals come out to pasture when they are around eight weeks old. They stay there all summer until they are slaughtered after 24 to 32 weeks in winter. In addition to bird flu, the fox is the greatest danger to animals. “In Germany, geese are almost exclusively kept free-range, which goes hand in hand with a high demand for pastureland,” says Nottensteiner.
When is the roast goose traditionally on the table?
Some geese are traditionally eaten at church fairs, some on St. Martin’s Day, November 11th. But most geese, around 60 percent, go in the oven at Christmas. “Consumers appreciate the tender meat in combination with the crispy crust,” says Jutta Senger-Mahler from the Mahler poultry farm in Mühlhausen near Estenfeld (district of Würzburg). With enough free run around 500 geese grow up there, which are ordered well in advance, especially by regular customers. There are also guinea fowl, flight ducks, farm ducks, wild ducks and turkeys.
Are rearing and keeping complex?
For the goslings you first need a rearing house, says Claus Schmiedel, poultry consultant at the Office for Food, Agriculture and Forests in Kitzingen-Würzburg. As a result, many farmers would not buy their geese until they are over six weeks old and ready for the field. In the meadow, the posture doesn’t make much effort anymore. “Only the slaughter is then the real work,” says Schmiedel.
What does the goose eat?
Geese feel at home on the green meadow. “All other types of poultry need grains and concentrated feed,” says the poultry consultant. Geese prefer to eat fresh, young grass, “that is also the most nutritious thing for them,” says Schmiedel. The goose is a social and watchful animal. “Only some specimens are also a bit belligerent.”
How much do you have to pay for a goose from the region this year?
The price for geese will be up to 20 percent higher this year than last year, says Nottensteiner. The kilogram of goose from Bavaria costs around 14.90 euros this year. For an animal weighing four kilograms, you would have to reckon with around 60 euros.
Where do the geese eaten in Germany come from?
Every German citizen eats around 400 grams of goose meat per year. “However, only about 20 percent come from domestic production,” says Nottensteiner from the regional association of the Bavarian poultry industry. Most of the geese consumed in this country come from Poland or Hungary. This is simply because goose meat is a rather high-priced meat and the animals can be raised more cheaply in Poland and Hungary.
Geese from the region
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