Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation, is suspending his involvement in the Commission for the Future of Agriculture (ZKL) until further notice. Like the previous government, the coalition government with a traffic light coalition has shown little ambition to lay the foundations for implementing the unanimous resolutions of the ZKL.
"Particularly in the area of animal welfare, the work of the federal government has so far only consisted of vague announcements of initiatives. After two years in government, this is a meagre result that does not do justice to the ZKL final report," said Thomas Schröder in a personal statement. He is therefore suspending his work as an animal rights activist in the ZKL until further notice, until concrete initiatives are introduced by the federal government and parliament. This applies in particular to the announced revision of the Animal Welfare Act. Its presentation is the indicator of the federal government's determination to move forward on the path of transformation.
Schröder explicitly pointed out that the FDP was acting as a brake, refusing to finance the restructuring of agricultural animal husbandry and thereby jeopardizing the competitiveness of agriculture in Germany. "But in the end, I have to assess the actions of the entire government. A dialog with the BMEL alone is not enough, all ministries are required to move forward," said the President of the German Animal Welfare Federation.
Schröder emphasized that he stands by the resolutions summarized in the ZKL final report and is still prepared to take individual, small steps in dialogue with all relevant groups if the direction is right. "However, I am no longer prepared to act as a sounding board for the federal government if concrete implementation is not evident in government action. Even the promises in the coalition agreement are not being implemented, so trust in further announcements is breaking down."
Note to editors: The text of Thomas Schröder's personal statement is available on request at presse(at)tierschutzbund.de
