The Federal Council is critical of the planned reorganization of the Food and Feed Act

The DBV's concerns about the proposed legislation are confirmed

Despite clear criticism, the Federal Council has not fundamentally rejected the planned reorganization of food and feed law. The merging of the previously independent laws in the areas of food hygiene, animal feed, consumer goods and cosmetics into one set of rules is happening at the expense of the clarity of the legal regulations for the user, according to the Federal Council in its statement. In the future, only experts in food and feed law would know reliably which regulations are to be applied. The Federal Council also sees the large number of ordinance authorizations as problematic. With future changes to important decisions in food and feed law, the Bundestag as the decision-making body will be ignored with these authorizations.

The leading agricultural committee of the Bundesrat had already agreed on the critical statement in Bonn last week. The basic goal of the draft law, namely simplification for the user, was judged to be unsatisfactory by the state representatives. Nevertheless, the committee spoke out against a motion by Saxony and Baden-Württemberg to leave food and feed law in two separate regulatory areas.

In a number of points, the DBV feels confirmed in the concerns it has raised about the proposed legislation. At the same time, one regrets that the Bundesrat did not take the opportunity to fundamentally reject this draft law. The DBV is therefore now calling on the Bundestag to use its influence in the legislative process and to clearly prioritize user-friendliness when restructuring food and feed law. In addition, a clear orientation towards the EU regulations must be guaranteed. This is the only way for economic operators in the European member states to be able to meet the requirements for comparable regulations and a uniform, understandable legal framework.

Source: Berlin [dbv]