Meat production in Germany is declining for the seventh year in a row

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Fattening pig in the stable: Pork production in particular is falling

Photo: Lars Penning / dpa

The structural change in agriculture is also evident in slaughterhouses: meat production in Germany fell for the seventh year in a row in 2023. According to preliminary results, commercial slaughterhouses produced 6.8 million tons of meat, according to the Federal Statistical Office. That was four percent or 280,200 tons less than the previous year. Domestic meat production has fallen continuously since its peak in 2016 at 8.25 million tons, the statisticians write.

Last year, a total of 47.9 million pigs, cattle, sheep, goats and horses as well as 702.2 million chickens, turkeys and ducks were slaughtered on farms.

More pigs imported from abroad

The decisive factor for the declining production is the significantly lower volume of pork. According to the statistical office's preliminary results, it fell by 6.8 percent to 4.2 million tons. Compared to the record year of 2016, around 1.4 million tons less pork was produced in 2023, which corresponds to a decline of over a quarter. According to the statistics office, one reason for the falling production is the pig population in Germany, which will also decline by May 2023.

The number of pigs slaughtered in Germany fell by seven percent to 43.8 million animals. Although most of the pigs slaughtered still came from domestic farms, their number fell year-on-year - by 7.7 percent to almost 42.3 million animals. The number of imported pigs slaughtered in German farms increased significantly. It rose by 19.5 percent to 1.5 million animals.

The number of cattle slaughtered remained almost constant at three million animals (minus 0.3 percent). Since the average slaughter weights increased according to the information, the quantity rose slightly by 0.6 percent to 992,900 tons. The amount of poultry meat produced increased by 1.4 percent to 1.6 million tons.

In view of the rapid structural change in agriculture, Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir wants to promote reliable financing for the restructuring of animal husbandry. Now the plans for an animal welfare tax are becoming more concrete. At the request of the traffic light factions, the Ministry of Agriculture is developing a concept that will serve as the basis for the introduction of an excise tax on meat and meat products, as stated in a paper from which the dpa news agency and also the "Bild" newspaper quoted.

It says that the level of the tax rate would have to be decided politically. The revenue from the tax would not flow directly to the farmers, but into the federal budget. The tax would therefore not be earmarked for a specific purpose. Imported meat products should also be taxed; only imports for private purposes would be exempt.

The animal welfare tax is based on a recommendation published in 2020 by a commission led by former Agriculture Minister Jochen Borchert. This proposed a higher VAT rate or a quantity-based levy – 40 cents per kilogram of meat. According to this concept, the additional income should go to farmers who are converting their animal husbandry.

Animal Welfare Association doesn't want to just leave it at animal welfare tax

The President of the German Animal Welfare Association, Thomas Schröder, welcomed Özdemir's key points paper. “It is crucial for the implementation of a levy that the additional revenue is not misused to plug budget holes or to compensate for other cuts,” said Schröder. The additional money must, without exception, be used for a specific purpose for animal welfare progress.

At the same time, he warned the FDP not to block an animal welfare tax. “Christian Lindner and the FDP must now show their colors,” said Schröder. "If Mr. Lindner blocks himself, he will risk the future viability of animal husbandry in Germany."

The Citizens' Assembly convened by the Bundestag had also spoken out in favor of an animal welfare tax - or a VAT of 19 percent on meat.

Animal protection president Schröder calls for both. "If you want to strengthen climate protection in addition to animal protection, you would be wise to increase the VAT on meat from seven to 19 percent at the same time as the tax, but to reduce the VAT for plant-based nutrition," he said. There is “no human right to meat, but there is certainly a human right to nutrition.”

mmq/dpa