On the first anniversary of the Federal Government’s term in office, and specifically of Alois Rainer, the Federal Minister for Agriculture responsible for animal welfare, Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation, comments:
“The fact that Federal Minister for Agriculture Alois Rainer describes his own work using the slogan ‘change of course achieved’ comes across as nothing short of cynical from an animal welfare perspective. Over the past twelve months, not a single step has been taken to actually strengthen animal welfare. Wolves have been given the green light to be shot, mandatory video surveillance in slaughterhouses is to apply only to large-scale operations, and the state animal husbandry labelling scheme will not improve conditions for any animal, even with the current revision. Existing loopholes in animal welfare legislation have not been closed, and the federal barn conversion programme is set to expire. Nor has the much-needed financial support for animal shelters, announced in the coalition agreement, been provided to date. Minister Rainer: “As far as animal welfare is concerned, your first year in office has been a complete washout – more must be done as a matter of urgency!”
