January 18, 2023
Expertise for Animals supports foodwatch report on the health status of farm animals.
Expertise for Animals supports foodwatch report on the health status of farm animals.
The latest report by foodwatch e.V. "Animal suffering in the shopping basket" (in german) shows that millions of farmed animals suffer massively from diseases, injuries and pain. The problems are widespread in all forms of husbandry, whether conventional or organic.
Expertise for Animals supported the consumer rights organization in the preparation of the report. The report evaluates studies on animal health in Germany and presents a guideline for the systematic recording of the state of health.
Selected study results and animal health reports on pigs, "dairy cows" and "laying hens" show the dramatic situation in the animal industry. The scientific studies are an important starting point for the political debate.
The report criticizes that the state of health of so-called farm animals is neither systematically recorded nor are farms sanctioned whose animals are in particularly poor condition.
For these reasons, foodwatch demands that farms must systematically record the state of animal health. Based on this, an inter-farm health index should be introduced. Farms with poor animal health must be advised and encouraged to make improvements.
foodwatch also criticizes the animal husbandry label planned by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. It only informs about differences in the way animals are kept, but does not take into account the health status of the animals. Therefore, the organization calls on the federal government to present an animal health strategy:
"The legislator must fulfill its responsibility for animal welfare and finally consistently stand up for the state goal of animal welfare anchored in the Basic Law. Whether a farm animal is kept in an humane manner or not must not be left to the consumers' purchasing decisions. A "shopping basket policy" or voluntary measures by the industry cannot replace consistent legal requirements for humane farm animal husbandry." (Translated by Expertise for Animals)
Our vision reaches further than the idea of humane husbandry. Nevertheless, we see publications of this kind as a possible intermediate step towards achieving social change in the interests of non-human animals.
The publication helps to raise awareness of the problem in society and politics and to increase the position of non-human animals in politics and law.
The report "Animal suffering in the shopping basket" is based on animal-relevant scientific findings. We see this as a pivotal point for achieving social change for non-human animals.
Expertise for Animals advises actors working on behalf of non-human animals. We make animal-relevant scientific findings usable and attach great importance to source-based work.
