Since the beginning of this year, it has been mandatory for pork to indicate under which conditions the pigs were raised, using five categories: from 'Barn' to 'Organic.' The goal is to provide insight into the living conditions of the animals for meat on store shelves.
The Greensā presentation of the expanded meat label coincides with the announcement of several agriculture- and farmer-friendly proposals by BMEL Minister Cem Ćzdemir (Greens). This week he is defending his proposal in the Agriculture Committee to expand the Animal Welfare law.
Last week, he presented a 'farm opportunity plan.' With this program, BMEL supports farmers who want to transition from livestock farming to the production and processing of innovative protein- and climate-friendly foods.
Ćzdemir has also recently made a new concession in the new (still in preparation) manure law. This will require even more detailed tracking of which materials (and in what quantities) are used in agriculture. In return, the existing (burdensome) administration and bookkeeping (āsubstance balanceā) will be abolished.
The expansion of the meat label faces some resistance within the 'traffic light coalition' in Berlin, especially from the FDP, which questions the consequences for the hospitality sector. The German Agricultural Federation (DBV) has also sharply criticized the plan. According to them, the teething problems in the current labeling scheme must first be reduced. They also point out that additional costs come with adapting barns to meet higher standards.
In this regard, the DBV refers to the longer-standing desire for modernization (and enlargement) of barns in German livestock farming, which should partly be financed by subsidies or government support and the introduction of a meat tax or an increase of VAT on foodstuffs. The latter has so far been blocked by the liberal FDP parliamentary group.