Animal welfare efforts in vain?

Inflation drives Germans to the cheap meat counter

Created: 08/12/2022, 16:35

By: Patricia Huber

Inflation is forcing many consumers to save.

Especially when it comes to meat, customers are now turning to cheap products again – with consequences for animal welfare.

Berlin/Munich – In recent years, the topic of animal welfare has come to the fore for many consumers.

Especially when buying meat, more people are now paying attention to the circumstances under which the pigs, cows or chickens lived before.

But animal welfare costs - and in times of record inflation rates that is a major challenge for many consumers.

Expensive conversion for animal welfare: who should pay for it?

In order to support farmers on the way to more animal welfare - for example by converting barns - experts recommend even higher VAT or a levy on animal products.

The traffic light coalition is still struggling to find a fundamental, reliable financial solution.

A surcharge of 40 cents per kilogram of meat would be conceivable.

But what good is all this if no one can afford the expensive meat anymore?

Discounters and supermarkets like to advertise “more animal welfare”, but in the end the decision lies with the customer.

And if he increasingly turns to cheap meat, the big - and above all expensive - animal welfare conversion will not help the farmers at all.

Plenty of space and fresh air: This form of husbandry is expensive.

© IMAGO/Frank Peter

Inflation: Traders buy less quality meat

There are already first signs of this step backwards.

Many retail chains are currently negotiating new contracts.

According to

, these also include lower delivery volumes or shorter delivery times, since consumers often simply no longer want to – or can’t – afford the quality products.

The farmers are therefore concerned that they will then be left with the meat of good animal husbandry.

"We can't build on the promises made by Aldi, Lidl and Co.," a farmer told

.

Farmers and traders are thus in a dilemma.

No farmer wants to convert his barn for a lot of money if he can't sell his more expensive meat.

On the other hand, retailers do not want to offer higher-priced meat that customers will not then buy.

A retail manager even admits to

that "a paradigm shift is needed, which will also cost us something." But in the executive floors, the topic would be approached "preferably more comfortably".

After all, you have to be able to assert yourself against the competition and if "Aldi makes a product cheaper, everyone follows suit."