Document type : news item from Euractiv
Authors: Julia Dahm, translation from German by Daniel Eck
Preview: Germany's agriculture ministry wants to approach the implementation of a national animal husbandry label "step by step", while also pushing an origin label at the EU level. EURACTIV Germany reports.
During his inaugural speech to the Bundestag earlier this month, German agri minister Cem Özdemir had announced he would introduce a mandatory animal welfare label before the end of the year. Since the Green politician took office in December, he repeatedly emphasised his intention to work for more animal welfare.
The three parties in the ruling coalition, the Social Democrats (SPD), the Greens and the liberal FDP, "see the need to take a big step forward in the restructuring of animal husbandry now," Özdemir's State Secretary, Silvia Bender, said at an event organised by the German Farmers' Association (DBV) on Tuesday (25 January).
The ministry has now set out to present the corresponding drafts "as quickly as possible," she added.
At the same time, however, the State Secretary dampened expectations for the rapid introduction of a comprehensive label. "We have to see this as a framework to be developed further and further," Bender said.
It is not feasible, from a practical standpoint, to introduce a label for all products in one step, she explained.
The ministry, therefore, wants to prioritise some products over others. For example, those that consist mainly or even exclusively of animal products, such as sausage or cheese, should be labelled as soon as possible.
Animal welfare to be 'regularly monitored'
An expansion to the entire product range should then take place step by step until even products with a low meat content like frozen pizza with salami, will have to be labelled, Bender explained.
In order to avoid conflict with EU internal market rules, the planned bill is to make animal welfare labelling mandatory only for products produced in Germany, while importers can use the label voluntarily. [...]
Regular monitoring is still needed beyond such a system, in order to gain consumer trust, said Jaschke. [...]
"Where it says 'Germany' on it, it must be Germany in it," said Hubertus Beringmeier, chair of DBV's expert committee on processing.
The association is thus calling for the introduction of a so-called "5-D regulation" with a corresponding "5-D label", for which products would have to have been produced in Germany from the animal's birth to the finished product. [...]
Moving forward at EU level
The ministry stated its intentions to promote origin labelling not just on a national level, but at the EU level.
