According to the BMEL's preliminary draft bill, the new Animal Welfare Act is to be amended to include the sentence that, when weighing up human interests worthy of protection against animal welfare, economic interest does not constitute a reasonable reason for impairing the life and well-being of an animal. The German Farmers' Association (DBV) reacted with alarm to this wording. Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation, commented:
"That the wording is intended to introduce a ban on any form of agricultural animal husbandry, as DBV Secretary General Bernhard Krüsken claims, is simply wrong and unobjective propaganda against the upcoming amendment to the Animal Welfare Act.
Basically, the sentence merely incorporates into the law what has already been applicable law since 2019 at the latest due to supreme court rulings: the Federal Administrative Court ruled on the practice of killing male chicks that purely economic reasons alone could not be sufficient as a reasonable reason within the meaning of the Animal Welfare Act. A change in licensing practice or the abolition of commercial animal husbandry per se is therefore not to be feared.
However, Krüschen's polemic makes this clear: In our view, scaremongering against a formulation that basically only confirms existing law reveals that the farmers' association can hardly really be concerned with preserving agriculture in a more animal-friendly and sustainable form, but rather with being able to continue to make a profit at any price and without any consideration for the animals. Clinging doggedly to a broken system cannot be in the interests of farmers who want planning security."
Note to editors:
With the current campaign "Now more animal welfare!", the German Animal Welfare Federation provides information on which announcements from the coalition agreement have already been addressed and where there are only empty promises so far: www.jetzt-mehr-tierschutz.de
