Cem Özdemir has been a vegetarian since he was 17.

Nevertheless, the Federal Minister of Agriculture and Green Party politician has devoted himself extensively to meat in recent weeks.

According to Özdemir, there should be a state animal welfare label in Germany from next year, which should be mandatory for suppliers of fresh or frozen meat.

He hopes that as a result, consumers will buy more quality meat and farmers will create better conditions for the animals in the barns.

Julia Loehr

Business correspondent in Berlin.

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On Tuesday, Özdemir presented the cornerstones of a law that he wants to get through the cabinet before the summer break and through the Bundestag by the end of the year.

Specifically, it is a five-stage model.

In the lowest form of husbandry, "stable", the farmers only meet the minimum legal standards.

The animals have 20 percent more space in the "Stall+Platz" category.

"Fresh-air stables" are open on at least one side, and in the "Run/free range" stage, the animals are allowed out eight hours a day or more.

Organic farms are grouped into the fifth stage of the model.

The aim is to make agricultural animal husbandry "future-proof", said Özdemir in Berlin.

The farmers must have a good income, the animals must have good living conditions, and the climate must also be protected.

The number of pig farms in Germany halved between 2010 and 2020.

This is cause for concern.

There should also be “good meat” from Germany in the future.

"The husbandry label makes the farmers' investments for more animal welfare visible," said Özdemir.

"Anyone who uses animals also has a duty to keep them well."

In planning for more than ten years

Özdemir is not the first Federal Minister of Agriculture to want a state animal husbandry license plate.

Such considerations have existed for more than ten years.

In the past legislative period, the then incumbent Julia Klöckner (CDU) already reached a cabinet decision on this topic.

She planned a three-level label, the first level of which should already be above the national minimum standard.

However, Klöckner wanted a voluntary model, and she rejected a labeling requirement with reference to EU law.

The SPD then blocked the license plate in the further political process, and there was no vote in the Bundestag.

The Greens, then still in opposition, were against a voluntary regulation.

Özdemir only wants to make his license plate mandatory for meat from animals kept in Germany.

Imported goods can be labeled on a voluntary basis, he emphasized.

The ministry now wants to start the notification process with the EU Commission.

It will become clear in the course of this procedure whether there are any objections from Brussels.

Some other countries have already introduced animal welfare labels.

In Denmark there is a state label that illustrates the husbandry conditions with three green hearts.

It is on a voluntary basis.

In the Netherlands, the label of an animal welfare organization that awards three stars has established itself.