German Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner (CDU) presented the German proposal for an Animal Welfare Label at the informal EU ministers' meeting in Koblenz.
The German federal states and the GroKo coalition parties decided last week that German livestock farming must be extensively rebuilt. Larger barns and cubicles for livestock will be required, less manure may be spread, and the agricultural sector must become more environmentally friendly and sustainable.
On Monday and Tuesday, EU agriculture ministers will negotiate a similar project at the EU level. So far, only the Netherlands and Denmark have a nationwide animal welfare label.
Dutch Minister Carola Schouten (CU) has already indicated that she supports the German proposal for an EU animal welfare label, provided the already existing Better Life quality mark in the Netherlands can be incorporated. The German proposal for an EU animal welfare law also includes stricter rules for livestock transport and health inspections.
The sixteen German federal states have agreed to adopt a new law on agriculture and livestock farming before the federal elections next autumn. Minister Klöckner (CDU) will present a feasibility study in the spring to determine how such a large project can be financed.
The initiative was triggered by the findings of the so-called Borchert Commission, the former Minister of Agriculture who submitted proposals in February for a drastic transformation of livestock farming. That commission was set up partly by Chancellor Angela Merkel in response to two recent major electoral victories by the German Greens.
To finance the remodeling of barns, new sources of income must be tapped. Among the options under discussion are a higher VAT on animal products or direct subsidies from the federal budget. The Borchert Commission estimates an investment need of three to five billion euros per year.
Additionally, consumers must be "proportionately taxed based on their consumption of animal products." Specifically, the experts mention levies of 40 cents per kilogram of meat and sausage, two cents per kilogram for milk and fresh dairy products, and 15 cents per kilogram for cheese, butter, and milk powder. According to calculations from the Ministry of Agriculture, each consumer in Germany would pay an average of 35.02 euros more per year.