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The German Federal Ministry of Agriculture (BMEL) has officially presented a study on how to raise funds to enhance animal welfare. According to the study, one of the ways to obtain funding is to introduce taxes on meat. On 02/03/2021, the Minister of Agriculture, Julia Klöckner (CDU), submitted a report to the German Parliament's Committee on Agriculture identifying three possible legislative ways of adjusting the tax system: an increase in excise duty on certain products of animal origin, an increase in VAT on these products, and the introduction of an additional income tax. The preferred model is a proposal to increase VAT from 7% to 19%, which would also be in line with European legislation. All three options will continue to be discussed in the coming months, inter alia in the context of the forthcoming Chamber of Deputies elections in September 2021. The issue of introducing meat taxes in Germany arose as early as 2020; last year the proposals took the form of supplementing a flat tax on certain products of animal origin of 40 cents per kilogram of meat, 2 cents per kilogram of milk and 15 cents per kilogram of cheese or butter. The aim was also to raise funds to strengthen animal welfare. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last week that the United Kingdom was not yet considering introducing taxes on meat.
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Spanish producers of traditional foods and foods with a protected geographical indication are requesting exemptions from the nutrition labelling system on the front of food packaging using the NutriScore system. The February decision of the ministry to grant an exemption to olive oil producers led to the submission of further applications, this time for Manchego cheese and traditional Spanish ham. However, other traditional food producers also plan to submit applications. Spain seeks to encourage food producers to voluntarily label foods with NutriScore, pending the transition to a possible mandatory harmonized nutrition labelling scheme, which is now under scientific review by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and which is being discussed by European institutions. The Commission should present a legislative proposal for nutrition labelling on the front of food packaging by the end of 2022 as part of the Farm to Fork strategy.
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Last week, Austrian MEP Simone Schmiedtbauer (EPP) called for support for food country origin labelling, which Schmiedtbauer said is key to reducing the carbon footprint. According to the MEP, support for this labelling would lead to a shortening of supply chains and to the promotion of local consumption. According to Schmiedtbauer, it is also important to monitor the origin of ingredients in already processed foods, especially meat, milk, and eggs. Schmiedtbauer calls on the Commission to present a legislative proposal on mandatory EU-wide food labelling as an essential part of the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork strategy.
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According to a report by the German Environmental Alliance "Together Against Livestock Production", Germany supports the livestock sector through direct and indirect support of up to €13.2 billion per year. The authors have tried to calculate all the funds that go directly or indirectly in Germany to support the breeding of animals to produce meat, milk, and eggs, to support the processing and distribution of animal products, and to support the production of feed. Sources of support included direct payments, tax relief, counselling services, and state social benefits. In the chapter on Fiscal Policy and Economic Development Policy, the study states that the livestock sector benefits from reduced value added tax on products of animal origin, from tax breaks for agricultural diesel, or from the exemption of agricultural vehicles from vehicle tax. Within this chapter alone, costs amount to a total of €5.86 billion. In the area of banking, companies in the agricultural and food sectors also benefit from favourable interest rates as well as loan subsidies. Under this chapter, expenditure on the livestock sector amounts to €28.73 million. The authors therefore call for a reduction in livestock production by up to 80% by 2030. The Thünen Institute for Market Analysis called the environmental alliance study successful and relevant; according to the institute, the study provides real numbers and the correct methodology for calculating total costs. According to the Thünen Institute, the reduction of livestock production to the extent proposed by the authors of the study is problematic; in this regard, the institute questions the conclusions of the study, especially given the insufficient reflection on the need to graze grasslands, which is not easy to transform into arable land.
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According to the EFSA report of 26/02/2021, a total of 1,022 outbreaks of avian influenza were detected in 25 countries in Europe, the European Economic Area, and the United Kingdom between 08/12/2020-28/02/2021. A total of 592 cases of the disease were recorded in domestic poultry, mainly ducks, most of which were in France. Other cases have been reported in wild or captive birds. Russia has recorded the first human-to-human transmission of the H5N8 avian influenza strain to poultry workers. However, EFSA considers the risk of transmitting the disease to humans to be very low; there is yet no evidence of mutations that are hazardous to humans.
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