On Friday, June 6, the Bundestag will debate in its first reading an amendment to the Animal Husbandry Labeling Act, which includes, among other things, an extension of the deadline for the market introduction of state animal husbandry labeling. Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation, comments:
"In its current form, there is no need to extend the deadline for the market introduction of the labeling system. The Animal Husbandry Labeling Act needs to be scrapped and completely redesigned.
In their coalition agreement, the CDU/CSU and SPD promised to “align the Animal Husbandry Labeling Act with animal welfare.” What we need is a genuine animal welfare label! However, state labeling does not bring about any improvements in animal welfare, but merely reflects the status quo of animal husbandry. No animal will be better off in the long term. Aspects that are highly relevant to animal welfare, such as tail docking in pigs, are completely ignored.
The same applies to the breeding, transport, and slaughter of animals. These aspects must be included in the labeling—as must animal-related indicators that reveal how the animals are faring at the various stages of husbandry. The working paper produced by the negotiators from the CDU/CSU and SPD states that animal husbandry labeling should be extended to cover the entire lifespan and other animal species—this would be absolutely essential.
The labeling therefore does not meet consumer demands to be able to truly recognize the animal welfare standard behind a product. Furthermore, the individual stages of animal husbandry are not conclusively defined, and the certification and control system is inadequate."
