Former consumer protection minister Renate Künast (The Greens) criticized the proposal of incoming Federal Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer (CSU) for meat dishes in kindergartens and schools, as well as for cheaper meat. “Of course, I wish the new minister good luck in the interest of good nutrition for all and good conditions for agricultural businesses” she told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” (Thursday edition). “However, I have the feeling of traveling back in time by decades. We need a minister who sets the course for sustainability, secures nutrition and pays attention to follow-up costs. Instead, I am hearing nothing but ideological statements about cheap meat and that the market would take care of everything.” Künast, who in 2013 had advocated for a Veggie Day in canteens, added, “Given the billions for animal husbandry and the billions in costs for nutrition-related illnesses, more action is called for instead of empty phrases.” The “Competence Network Livestock Husbandry” often referred to as the “Borchert Commission” after its former chair, former Agriculture Minister Jochen Borchert (CDU), had proposed in a 2020 report a “welfare tax” of 40 cents per kilogram of meat and sausage to finance the animal-friendly renovation and operation of stables. With an average annual consumption of 61.1 kilograms per person in Germany in 2018, this would amount to additional costs of 24.44 euros per person per year. Farmers’ associations later called for a higher amount to offset inflation. The expert commission had been set up in 2019 by the then Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner (CDU). The panel included representatives from conventional and organic agriculture, environmental groups, consumer advocates and scientists.
Green Party Criticizes CSU’s Meat Proposals for Schools and Kindergartens
