Broad reform of agricultural policy required
The Meat Industry Association (VDF) welcomes the willingness of Berlin government politicians to tackle a broad reform of agricultural policy following the farmers' protest. The animal welfare tax that was discussed is a possible way that the Borchert Commission had suggested to finance the transformation of animal husbandry in Germany. “It is essential to prevent domestic meat production from being put at a disadvantage,” said VDF Managing Director Steffen Reiter. To do this, it is necessary to involve all sides – farmers and the meat industry – in the development. From the point of view of the meat industry association, high hurdles must be overcome in order to find a viable solution for the introduction of an animal welfare tax.
“The meat industry association was actively involved in the work of the Borchert Commission. We are clearly behind the concept of transformation. “But domestic production shouldn’t just be burdened,” says Reiter.
The collection and use of an animal welfare tax must be compatible with EU law. In order to achieve this, the tax should only be levied on products produced in Germany, for example. This means that only the products produced by local agriculture would become more expensive. Products from other countries, on the other hand, could be marketed in Germany without a price premium and without being subject to the already high German animal welfare standards.
