The planned state animal husbandry logo for meat in the supermarket is progressing. The Agriculture Committee of the Bundestag approved the draft law introduced by Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) on Wednesday with changes that the coalition factions had agreed on. The mandatory labeling for domestic products should have five husbandry categories during fattening from the legal minimum standard to organic and start with fresh pork in a first step this year.
Green expert Renate Künast spoke of an important step after years of debate. Labeling is a central building block for clear information, fair competition in animal husbandry and alignment with animal welfare. The law is only the beginning and should be extended to other animal species and sales channels.
Union complains of consumer deception
Criticism came from the opposition Union. Group Vice-Chairman Steffen Bilger (CDU) complained about consumer deception. “For example, when buying fresh pork, customers don’t find out whether the piglet was castrated abroad without anesthesia.” In addition, only 12.5 percent more space than required by law is now sufficient for husbandry level 2 called “stable plus space”. The level “outdoor/pasture” is a sham, because the alleged pasture could also be a mud landscape.
In the parliamentary deliberations, the factions of the SPD, Greens and FDP had agreed on changes to the cabinet version, which also affect the requirements for the categories, among other things. In addition, the second highest level should now be called “outdoor/pasture”, not “outdoor/outdoor” as planned. Meat from abroad should be able to be labeled on a voluntary basis. The large supermarket chains have had uniform labeling for significantly more meat products for several years.
