The federal government is debating the so-called Bureaucracy Reduction Act today. The current draft also calls for eliminating the subsidy for grazing dairy cows, which had already been approved. The German Animal Welfare Federation criticizes the plan and calls on the CDU/CSU-SPD coalition to withdraw the proposed cut and implement the approved eco-scheme. The association points out that cattle farming that meets animal welfare standards is only possible with access to pasture. For an ever-decreasing number of cattle, however, this is not the reality.
“Scrapping promised incentives for improved animal welfare has nothing to do with reducing bureaucracy—it would send a disastrous signal!” comments Thomas Schröder, president of the German Animal Welfare Federation. “Anyone who truly wants better conditions for animals in agriculture must therefore reliably support farms that are leading the way—instead of scrapping approved subsidies shortly before they are set to begin, thereby causing a loss of trust and even more uncertainty in planning.”
ONLY PASTURE-BASED HUSBANDRY MEETS ANIMAL WELFARE STANDARDS
Cattle are social animals that need plenty of exercise. Only on pasture can they express their natural behaviors and meet their basic needs. Yet millions of them are denied animal-welfare-compliant husbandry with access to pasture. Two-thirds of all cattle in Germany never set foot on pasture in their entire lives, but must live in barn systems with very limited space. About ten percent of cattle in Germany are even still kept in tethered housing, which violates animal welfare standards.
COALITION AGREEMENT PROMISES EXPANSION OF VOLUNTARY REGULATIONS
The organic regulation for pasture grazing was adopted in 2024 and postponed again by one year in 2025—to give the federal states more lead time. It is a voluntary support instrument within the framework of CAP direct payments. For farms that do not apply for it, organic regulations do not entail any additional effort. “The coalition agreement explicitly promises the expansion of such schemes,” said Schröder. “This makes their elimination all the more incomprehensible.” Even following the explicit recommendation of the Commission on the Future of Agriculture, it is necessary to further develop the Common Agricultural Policy so that it better rewards societal and ecosystem services, and to increase the budget for eco-schemes.
