What the high meat consumption in Germany has to do with the war in Ukraine is not obvious at first glance. But Russia’s attack on the granary of Eastern Europe has consequences for local pig, poultry and cattle farmers. Because they get a large part of the animal feed they need from Ukraine, and that is now becoming scarce. Therefore, there are now calls to drastically reduce the number of animals in response to the crisis. This could accelerate a federal government project that is already on the agenda: the sustainable and animal-friendly conversion of stables, which in turn would result in higher meat prices.
Where is the right measure? How many animal husbandries can the country afford if it does not want to overstrain resources such as soil and water reserves? In order to achieve this balance, the number of animals in Germany would have to be reduced by 60 percent – with the same stable space. This is the conclusion of an unpublished report by the animal protection organization Four Paws, which is available to SZ.
“The calculations clearly show how little space animals are kept in all over Germany today,” criticizes Rüdiger Jürgensen, Managing Director of Four Paws Germany. “We are still a long way from species-appropriate animal husbandry in agriculture – and that’s 20 years after animal welfare was anchored in our constitution.”
Overall, various scenarios for a possible conversion of animal husbandry are played out in the report. Also one in which the number of animals remains as high as before, but facilities are converted in such a way that they meet the husbandry standards of the EU organic regulation. From the point of view of animal rights activists, only these meet the requirements of a reasonably animal-friendly husbandry. Sobering result: If the current amount stays the same, the existing barn and outdoor areas would have to increase sixfold. A scenario that is unrealistic because the entire agricultural area in Germany is shrinking.
With the war, it is becoming increasingly clear that the high feed requirements also set limits to husbandry. The previous black-red federal government already considered a cap to be necessary. She wanted to tie the number of animals to the existing area of the farms, on which the required fodder can then also be grown. This would also reduce dependency on imports.
First the pandemic, now the war
Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir (Greens) wants to promote reforms in agriculture. “Eating less meat would be a contribution against Putin,” he said in one over the weekend mirror-Interview. A system in which almost 60 percent of the grain is used as animal feed is not sustainable in times of the Ukraine war. His proposal met with opposition in the meat industry. “A further reduction in animal stocks in Germany is counterproductive,” said the association of the meat industry. He called for quick action in other fields.
In fact, pet owners have been under pressure for a long time. The corona pandemic is giving pig producers a hard time, exports abroad have collapsed, meat prices have plummeted. Added to this are now rising prices for feed, fertilizer and energy as a result of the war.
Hubert Heigl, President of the organic association Naturland, warns against supposedly simple solutions. He doesn’t think much of the idea of an EU emergency program to reduce animal stocks in the short term. “Animal husbandry depends on the life cycles of the animals. A piglet that is born now lives and eats ten months before it is slaughtered. A cow has to be more than two years old before she gives milk for the first time. How should that be a one-year emergency program have an effect?” asks Heigl. An orderly conversion is needed to enable conventional farms to adjust the number of animals.