In German politics, the liberal FDP party no longer appears to oppose the introduction of a meat tax to finance a stricter animal welfare law in livestock farming.
The three parties of the ‘traffic light coalition’ broadly agree on modernizing agriculture and livestock farming but have so far differed on how to finance it.
The liberal faction in the agricultural state of Lower Saxony now advocates a surcharge of forty cents per kilo of meat, to be almost entirely paid by supermarkets and intermediaries. They should pass on this surcharge to customers as little as possible to avoid further fueling inflation.
The liberals in Lower Saxony say they have coordinated and discussed their proposal with key figures from the national FDP faction.
With a consumption of 7.4 million tons of meat per year, this corresponds to a meat surcharge of nearly three billion euros, which should flow into a national animal welfare fund. From this, the 'buyout of livestock farmers' and the 'sanitation of slaughterhouses' would be paid, as well as subsidies for barn renovations, organic farming, and improved animal welfare.
An expert committee led by former minister Borchert presented an extensive and well-considered package last year to modernize both German agriculture and livestock farming, including stricter laws against animal suffering and environmental pollution.
Moreover, Germany would have to comply with EU environmental standards for soil, air, and water. For German livestock farming, this would mean replacement new construction costing billions for almost all barns.
German Agriculture and Food Minister Cem Özdemir has so far not made a decision on the possible financing of such plans: should the consumer pay, or the farmer, or the supermarket chains, or the intermediaries? Or a combination of these? Furthermore: should there be only an extra surcharge on meat sold in supermarkets, or also in restaurants? And will it be a ‘tax,’ a levy, or a surcharge? And who would be responsible for collecting it?
In an initial reaction, Agriculture spokesperson Renate Künast of the Greens welcomed the fact that the FDP had abandoned its opposition to financing the restructuring of livestock and agriculture. “This is important support for more animal welfare and fair competition.”
Lower Saxony is an important agricultural state: more than half of Germany’s broiler chickens and roosters are kept there (60 percent), every third pig (33 percent), and about every fifth beef cattle (21 percent).