Good news for Germany's chickens

There is hope for the broiler chickens who limp because they were bred to grow too large, too quickly. There is also hope for the cows whose udders have become so heavy that their skeletons struggle to cope.

Even for the crocodiles, snakes, and lizards, who are still allowed to be privately owned in Germany, there is a glimmer of hope that this situation will soon end. Ariane Kari is the person who has been tasked with finally closing the loopholes in Germany's animal welfare law, which was incorporated into the constitution as a national objective in 2002.

"I will share more knowledge of the needs of animals through educational and public relations work — because knowledge protects animals,"   the veterinarian said.

Germany's pets, but most of all its livestock — the 11 million cattle, 26 million pigs, and 173 million poultry across the country, are now legally represented at the federal level for the first time. Previously, 9 out of the 16 German states had animal welfare officers.

Kari had served as the deputy animal welfare officer in the southern state of Baden-Württemberg since 2017. Her new position is under the umbrella of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture.

Germany's food and agriculture minister Cem Özdemir, of the Greens, has praised Kari as a "proven expert." 

"With the creation of this office at the federal level, we will further strengthen animal protection in Germany structurally and institutionally. That shows how important the topic of animal welfare is to the federal government," Özdemir said.

Kari faces a 'mammoth task'

Germany's top animal rights activist Thomas Schröder believes Kari is facing nothing less than a "mammoth task."

"In principle, it is the right step to establish a federal commissioner for animal protection," Schröder, the president of the German Animal Welfare Federation told DW.

"However, I still have my concerns as to whether the concept will be effective enough," as she is based in the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and has no clout in other ministries. 

Schröder gives some examples: If animals are jammed into two-storied transport vehicles and their backs are constantly bumping against the ceiling, that is a matter for the Ministry of Transport. When it comes to regulating scientific testing on animals, the responsibility lies with the Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Will issues of animal welfare remain siloed?

On August 1, 2002, Germany became the first country in the European Union to enshrine animal protection in law as a national objective, with the amendment to Article 20a of its Basic Law constitution: "From now on, the state will protect the natural foundations of life and animals". Because of this milestone, Germany long saw itself as the unofficial European champion for animal welfare.

Indeed, decisions such as that of the Federal Administrative Court in 2019 demonstrate that animal welfare is taken seriously in Germany: the economic interest of hatcheries alone was not reason enough for the mass killing of male chicks, the court decided, and a ban followed.

Germany no longer leads

However, many animal welfare organizations criticize that, two decades after the constitution was changed, the focus remains too much on using animals and not enough on protecting them. Animal welfare continues to be widely disregarded, for example, in industrial agriculture.

For this reason, Thomas Schröder no longer sees Germany as playing a leading role: "When it comes to animal protection, we have slid down the ranking list of countries, because for decades we have knowingly had loopholes in our laws, and nobody has done anything about it. I believe that this idea of us as a role model, that we are the best in Europe, no longer stands."

That is why the president of the German Animal Welfare Federation is calling for changes to food policy, moving away from setting records on exports: "It can no longer be the philosophy that Germany or Europe can feed the world."

Kari versus the clock

There is much to do for Ariane Kari — and not much time to do it in. The position of Federal Commissioner for Animal Protection expires with the current legislative period.

That means, if the German government which will be elected at the end of 2025 places less value on animal welfare, the worst-case scenario is that the position could be scrapped altogether.

According to Thomas Schröder, that gives about two and a half years for the veterinarian to, against all odds, ensure that every minister is able to justify their decisions as being in the interest not only of equality and sustainability, but also animal welfare.

"That would mean that at the end of every law, it could state: 'compatible with the national objective for animal welfare'," Schröder said. 

This article was originally written in German.

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