Özdemir's Animal Welfare Initiative Welcomed

The Starting Gun for the Transformation of Animal Husbandry

Animal welfare and environmental protection organisations have welcomed the plans of Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) for greater animal welfare in food production.

The organic farming association Bioland praised the planned labelling requirement for pork as “the starting gun for the urgently needed transformation of animal husbandry.” The Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) stated that the husbandry labelling scheme would set the right incentives for necessary changes.

The Committee on Food and Agriculture in the Bundestag addressed the proposed legislation. It envisages a nationwide uniform and mandatory animal welfare label, initially covering pork only. A five-tier label is planned for meat from animals reared in Germany.

Criticism from Conventional Agriculture

“Nothing has happened in this area for 16 years, so we welcome the efforts made so far by the Federal Ministry,” stated Bioland.

Representatives of conventional agriculture, by contrast, have sharply criticised the animal welfare label. The German Farmers’ Association stated that it burdens farmers with additional bureaucracy.

The animal welfare label is part of a support programme that Özdemir intends to establish for farmers who make their animal husbandry more species-appropriate. “Our goal is for fewer animals to be kept under better conditions and for farmers to be rewarded by the state for doing so,” he said. More on the topic of animal welfare and animal rights.

The animal welfare organisation Pro Vieh had, however, criticised the draft for not going far enough. Criteria important to the wellbeing of pigs, such as those relating to straw and natural flooring, remain excluded even in the higher husbandry categories.

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