The Competence Network for Livestock Farming ("Borchert Commission") has decided to end its work on the restructuring of livestock farming. The German Animal Welfare Federation was not a member of the "Borchert Commission", but was involved in the accompanying working groups with technical expertise. Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation, comments:
"The results of the Borchert Commission were a decisive breakthrough, also and precisely because they were supported and developed by the entire breadth of all social players in the agricultural sector. Old rifts were overcome, compromises were reached in a responsible manner and a viable consensus on the livestock farming of the future was reached.
The end of the Commission must not mean that the results are now shelved. The core finding remains valid and must continue to serve as a guideline for the Federal Government even after the end of the Borchert Commission: Agricultural animal husbandry must be fundamentally restructured, otherwise it will not be accepted by society and will have no future. More than ever, the Federal Government is called upon to finally present a reliable and sustainable strategy for the restructuring of animal husbandry, which also follows the premise of "less consumption, less production" unanimously specified by the Commission on the Future of Agriculture. The fact that such a strategy has so far been lacking is at the very least negligent and ignorant - especially on the part of the FDP, which is apparently blocking the necessary funding. But this also applies to the SPD and the Grünen, because an animal husbandry label alone is by no means a strategy."
