The German government's final bill for the extension of the Animal Welfare Act was presented last week, and on Monday the Bundestag's Agriculture Committee will hold a first hearing on it. After many states and agricultural organizations submitted more than eighty amendments, BMEL Minister Cem Özdemir has again made some changes.
The bill follows months of negotiations between the coalition parties and regional state governments. The amendment concerns important areas where livestock and other animals are kept, such as online pet trade, domestic and farm animals and the keeping of wild animals in travelling circuses.
The new law includes stricter animal welfare rules, including improved living conditions in stables, restrictions on physical interventions without medical necessity, as well as a ban on traditional “tethering” farming for cows and goats. Such a ban on tethering will not come into effect for another ten years. An exception is made for the small mixed farms in the southern German Alps for tethering cows in winter stables.
In addition, non-curative interventions, such as tail docking, must be prohibited in lambs and stricter regulations will also apply to piglets. In the future, stunning will be required for the burning off of the horns of calves, and video cameras must monitor the work processes in slaughterhouses. In the future, it will also be prohibited to trade and slaughter extremely weak goats and sheep.
Criticism of the bill comes from various quarters. Agricultural organisations, such as the farmers' union, warn of a financial burden for cattle farmers. They fear that the costs of adapting the stables will push many farmers out of the market, especially because announced subsidies are not sufficient to cover the new investments.
Nature conservation and animal welfare organisations, on the other hand, believe that the proposed reforms do not go far enough. In particular, criticism is levelled at the long transition periods and the fact that combination farming (outdoor and indoor housing) is not completely banned. This is seen as a compromise that does not sufficiently take into account animal welfare.
There is also disagreement within the governing coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP about the proposal of the two Green ministers for Agriculture and Animal Welfare. For example, some SPD politicians want stricter rules. However, the FDP believes that the bill sends the wrong signal to agriculture and advocates easing the rules to reduce the bureaucratic burden for farmers.