At the start of the parliamentary procedure for a state animal husbandry labeling law, the German Animal Welfare Federation is calling for the current draft to be turned inside out.
“Now is the time to make up for what Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir was unable to push through. We need to start a dynamic that will sustainably develop the keeping of so-called farm animals towards greater animal welfare,” says Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation.
What is needed is a funding policy that rewards rapid conversion. Animal welfare-unfriendly husbandry systems, above all those of the “stall” and “stall+place” levels, must be given an expiration date. It is also not enough to simply present animal husbandry and postpone animal welfare-related issues such as transportation or slaughter until the day after tomorrow. As only pigs are currently covered by the law, the term “animal husbandry label” is a grandiose misnomer, according to Schröder: “Basically, it is currently just an - inadequate - fattening pig husbandry label.”
The German Animal Welfare Federation criticizes that the current draft ignores the broad social desire for more and better animal welfare. Animal Welfare Federation President Schröder appeals to the members of parliament in the specialist committees to make the necessary improvements: “Turn the pure husbandry label into an instrument that really advances animal welfare.”
