Referreport
Of course, most people look at the price on the refrigerated shelf in the supermarket. Many meat packages have long had labels about the conditions in which the animals are kept. This is intended to provide clarity if customers want to pay more attention to animal welfare. And after the labeling of the trade, the proportion of meat that comes from stables that only meet the legal minimum requirements has continued to decline. A mandatory state logo will be added in the summer, but the next steps are unclear.
When it comes to Kasseler, pork chops and the like, a movement towards better animal husbandry conditions continues, as the sponsoring company of the trading system announced at the Green Week agricultural trade fair in Berlin. According to new data for 2023, 1.5 percent of pork from the self-service shelf came from the lowest level 1 – after 7.1 percent in 2022 and 22 percent in 2021. There was now no meat from the lowest level of farming in the refrigerated shelf of turkeys and chickens more.
Still a lot of beef from the lowest farming standards
However, when it comes to beef from the refrigerated shelf, more than three quarters still come from level 1. The proportion fell from 77 percent in 2022 to 75.6 percent in 2023. The information relates to fresh meat and preparations such as minced meat from the retailer’s own brands, which make up a large part of the range turn off.
The classification is part of the “husbandry style” labeling of supermarket chains for meat and processed pork, beef and poultry products that was launched in 2019. So far, the labels have the numbers 1 to 4 for four levels with increasing demands on animal husbandry. The voluntary system is currently being converted to five levels to align with the state logo.
Surcharges for farmers for greater animal welfare
The background to the shifts in husbandry levels is an increasing switch to the “Animal Welfare Initiative” program, explained the sponsoring company. The initiative, supported by agriculture, the meat industry and retail, has existed for ten years and now organizes price increases for additional animal welfare requirements for 14,000 participating companies. 20 percent of the market is covered for cattle, a good 60 percent for pigs and 90 percent for poultry. Managing director Alexander Hinrichs said that the initiative has focused on broad impact since the beginning, which makes it indispensable.
The self-service shelves are now dominated by level 2 – with the exception of beef – with slightly higher requirements for space and work materials. In the case of pork, their share rose from 84.9 percent to 90.5 percent within a year. The higher levels 3 and 4 increased to 2.6 percent and 5.1 percent. For chicken meat, 89.8 percent are in level 2 and around 5 percent are in levels 3 and 4. For beef, the proportion of level 3 rose from 1.2 percent to 5.6 percent. In addition, 14.4 percent now come from the highest level 4.
State logo in sight
In addition, the state logo will soon be visible on packages, but initially only for pork. According to a law passed by the traffic light coalition, labeling will be mandatory for domestic products from August. It has a system with five categories when piglets come into fattening – starting with the “stable” type of housing with the minimum legal requirements. The “Stable + Space” level provides 12.5 percent more space, while the “Fresh Air Stable” level provides contact with the outside climate. There are also the “run/pasture” and “organic” levels.
After the traffic lights are off, the expansion to other animal species and also to restaurants and canteens that Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir is actually aiming for is uncertain. Whoever takes office after the federal election would be well advised to continue on this path, the Green politician said during a preliminary visit to the exhibition grounds. The preparatory work has been done. Whether the future government will take it up remains to be seen.
Özdemir said the logo strengthens “consumer power” because they can influence animal husbandry through their purchasing behavior. It also strengthens farmers when you see what they are doing to ensure more species-appropriate husbandry. The out-of-home catering with high demand would be “a game changer”. However, broad and long-term secure financing for the conversion of stables is still open, so that farms are not left alone with billions in costs.
Source: German