German Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll 20/76,
pp. 9041-9042.
Right honorable Frau President. Herr Minister. Dear
colleagues. Dear farmers.
That the animal husbandry labeling planned by you would be
counter-productive for all participants, my colleague Protschka has already
stated. You rightly receive criticism from all sides of the branch. I cite, with permission of the President, the
association of the meat industry: The law will contribute nothing to the
reconstruction of animal husbandry but to the deconstruction of the supply
security of German production and also presumably to the deconstruction of the
already achieved progress in animal husbandry. – All here present need to give
consideration to that. We simply cannot permit that in the present crisis, dear
colleagues.
What on the other hand would be a strong support for the
branch and all participants, and which is already long overdue, is the obligatory
origin labeling [Herkunftskennzeichung]
of all foodstuffs. We have repeatedly demanded it and today renew this demand
with our motion [Drucksache 20/4889].
The reality however so appears that German agriculture finds
itself in a hard displacement competition. Against foreign dumping of foodstuffs,
the home farmers effectively have scarcely a chance. Environmental and animal
protection play scarcely any role in foreign production. That is also in truth
known to everyone here.
A transparent labeling of origin could nevertheless decisively
change that. It cannot be, dear colleagues, that there are foodstuffs which
contain additives from Poland, from China, from Brazil, which the consumer
however simply does not see in a food market. What then is it for a label when
thereon is: “Honey from EU and non-EU Countries”? Hello? From non-EU countries?
Thus from all the world, from every planet? That is not consumer information,
that is a spoof of the consumer, nothing else.
In my Allgäu, Allgäu milk is marketed which in part does not
come from Allgäu. Where it says Allgäu milk, in the future it needs therein be Allgäu
milk, dear colleagues. Period! All else would be deception of the consumer.
With origin labeling, domestic agricultural products would be
visible at a glance to everyone. Producers and consumers could thus themselves
decide for home products and thereby for very high animal protection and
environmental standards. From all relevant surveys we know that, out there,
this is explicitly desired by the consumers.
That this important decision is ever again postponed is
irresponsible. Austria, France and Sweden have here already successfully gone
ahead. There is thus no substantial or factual reason why we here could not
also immediately introduce this in Germany. With our motion, we give to you the
opportunity to finally introduce exactly this origin labeling for us in
Germany.
Many thanks and a blessed Christmas.
[trans: tem]
