Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation, comments on the European Commission's “Vision for Agriculture and Food” published today:
“The EU Commission's vision for the future of European agriculture holds no major surprises, but it does contain important animal welfare aspects.
The announced revision of animal welfare legislation, including an exit from cage farming, is long overdue. The demand that imported animal products should also comply with future EU animal welfare standards is to be welcomed! This would make it possible to improve animal husbandry in the EU without German farmers having to fear economic losses due to cheap imports. At the same time, this could lead to partner countries that want to continue trading with the EU also raising their standards.
The desire for a “diversification of protein sources” in the vision can and must mean that the EU produces more plant-based proteins in the future. However, there is no action plan for how the switch to a plant-based diet and protein diversification can succeed.
Overall, the vision is missing important pieces of the puzzle for a complete transition to more sustainable and animal-friendly systems. For example, the information on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) remains rather vague. Even if a final bureaucratization is desirable, it is to be feared that the planned simplification of the CAP could again result in a deterioration of environmental standards. This must be counteracted at all costs.”
