Raccoon sausages are popular, is this the solution to Germany’s problems?

(CNN) In Germany, where raccoon breeding is a problem, products such as sausages made from culled raccoon meat are becoming popular.

In 2022, hunter Michael Reis will open a meat shop in Kade, west of Berlin. He said he came up with the idea of ​​raccoon meat to create a product that would stand out at an international food trade show. CNN spoke with Rice on October 30.

Raccoons are killed as pests and disposed of. So Rice applied to the local government and got permission to process it as a food ingredient.

Raccoon Balls, raccoon meat dumplings, were a hit at the fair and at Rice’s store. The company soon began selling online, and now produces seven types of raccoon meat products, including salami.

“We are the only company in Europe that sells raccoon meat,” Rice said proudly. “Customers come from all over the world. Some combine it with a day trip and drive 150 kilometers just to try raccoons.” “It’s been well received. No one is saying it’s bad or not great. Everyone likes it.”

Regarding the taste, “It is not so different from other meat. is a raccoon. If you didn’t know, you wouldn’t see the difference.” Deaf,” he explained.

Raccoons, native to North America, were brought to Germany for their fur in the 1920s and released into the wild in 1934. Since then, they have been breeding not only in forests and grasslands but also in urban areas, and their numbers have increased rapidly, and their number in Germany is now estimated at 2 million.

Due to concerns about the impact on biodiversity and endangered species, hunting is now allowed in almost all German states. However, debate continues on how to handle it.