May 2, 2023

German parliament committee voted in favour of draft meat-labeling law

The German Federal Parliament's (Bundestag) Committee on Food and Agriculture voted last month in favor of a draft law on labeling meat according to the type of animal husbandry.

The draft submitted by Federal Minister Cem Özdemir was previously debated in the Bundestag on December 15, 2022, in its first reading.

Last June, German Federal Minister Özdemir presented the main pillars of this law. The bill was approved by the federal cabinet in mid-October and on November 25, it was on the agenda of the Bundesrat, which approved the bill in an initial statement.

In the future, the labeling must indicate the type of animal housing provided using a five-level scale (from the smallest to the largest available area: pen, larger pen, outdoor pen, outdoor production, or organic production).

As a first step, retailers will be required to label fresh, unprocessed pork for sale. Other animal species and products will follow.

- BMEL