Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation, comments on the draft bill for an animal husbandry label, which is to be submitted to the cabinet today by the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL):
“The draft bill is a disappointment. The animal husbandry label merely reflects the status quo. Although the debate about the label is suggestively conducted as if it were about animal welfare, the draft bill presented does not bring any substantial progress. In reality, everything is shifted onto the consumers, who are supposed to correct the weak regulatory law with their purchases. There is no sign of the momentum towards greater animal welfare desired by the Federal Government, and the overall strategy for socially acceptable animal husbandry in agriculture is still lacking.
The criteria are too weak, crucial areas such as transport and slaughter remain untouched and so far everything relates only to the keeping of pigs. It is unclear whether other animal species are to be taken into account and, if so, in what timeframe. In addition, consumers are denied the necessary transparency with euphemistic descriptions: the “barn” type of husbandry, for example, suggests an idyllic farm, but for pigs it means a life on slatted floors in narrow, unstructured production facilities - with artificial light and air supply.
Such a label ignores the wishes of the majority of society, complicates the discussion about serious and sustainable animal welfare and can therefore only be described as a fraudulent label. We need a label that brings dynamism into the system that is contrary to animal welfare, with a clear goal: less consumption, less production and more animal welfare. The “barn” form of husbandry must be given an expiration date so that the transformation of German agriculture towards more animal welfare can succeed. To achieve this, we need to close the loopholes and raise the level of regulatory law, as well as a targeted funding policy and rewards for all those who lead the way in animal welfare.
The German Animal Welfare Federation appeals to the parliamentary groups to turn the current draft into a label in the further legislative process that will actually bring more animal protection. If this does not succeed, we believe it would be better to stop the process: Better no label at all than one that places an extreme burden on the path to greater animal welfare.
One more word on the FDP's agreement, pushed through by the Federal Minister of Agriculture, that the - far from sufficient - financial injection of one billion euros for more animal welfare in stables can be used not only for conversion, but also for consumptive expenditure: As nice as this extended scope sounds, it must nevertheless be stated that this is merely a variant of the “left pocket, right pocket” game - without a single cent more for animal welfare. The funding amounts must be increased considerably, combined with a clear goal as planning security, otherwise a transformation will never succeed. The free market will not be able to do it alone.”
