The German Animal Welfare Federation and its Baden-Württemberg branch view the announced structural changes surrounding the office of the Baden-Württemberg State Animal Welfare Commissioner with concern. From the animal welfare advocates’ perspective, there is a risk that a voice that has hitherto been independent will in the future be subordinated to political interests. The associations have therefore sent a letter to Minister President Cem Özdemir calling for the position of State Animal Welfare Commissioner to be institutionally safeguarded and for her work to be sustainably strengthened.
“The independence of this office is of fundamental importance. Only through its independence from political parties and the state government can it act autonomously and free from external directives, thereby continuing to advocate sustainably and effectively for greater animal welfare in Baden-Württemberg. If their work is tied more closely to ministerial structures, this very important function risks being restricted,” explains Stefan Hitzler, Chairman of the Baden-Württemberg State Animal Welfare Federation.
Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation, also views the current developments critically: In Berlin, following the change in government, the office of the Federal Animal Welfare Commissioner was linked to a government agency. This makes it all the more important now that the states have independent animal welfare commissioners who can act without partisan political influence. What is surprising is that Cem Özdemir, as a federal minister, had himself advocated for an independent animal welfare commissioner at the federal level, but now apparently seems willing to abandon this conviction in Baden-Württemberg. It is also perplexing that the CDU’s lead candidate had denied such plans during the election campaign,” said Schröder.
In 2012, the independent office of a State Animal Welfare Commissioner in Baden-Württemberg was established for the first time under a Green-Social Democratic state government and has since developed into an indispensable point of contact for the general public. The model is an important milestone for institutional animal welfare. However, the coalition agreement of the new Green-Christian Democratic state government provides for the office to be “further developed into an independent unit for animal welfare within the ministry’s senior management.” According to current information, staff members of the State Animal Welfare Commissioner are also to be placed under the authority of the ministry’s leadership or, in some cases, assigned to other specialized departments.
Background
The independent staff unit of the State Animal Welfare Commissioner in Baden-Württemberg (SLT) offers, among other things, expert advice on all animal welfare issues, organizes and conducts numerous training events, prepares expert reports and statements, designs awareness campaigns, and is directly and unbureaucratically accessible to the general public. For animal welfare initiatives, private individuals, government agencies, and livestock farms, as well as inquiries from the media or political circles, the SLT has become an important institution and an indispensable point of contact for all animal welfare issues. In doing so, the SLT’s small, highly effective, and technically well-equipped team has already initiated and launched many projects aimed at “enhancing animal welfare in the state.”
