Tendency to have less desire for meat
At the beginning of January, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, together with the German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND) and the German edition of Le Monde Diplomatique, published the "Meat Atlas 2021". The Meat Atlas, which has been published regularly since 2013, addresses global meat consumption and its negative effects and shows possible solutions. In Germany, less meat is eaten, while global consumption continues to rise. The trend towards a decline in the amount of meat consumed in Germany can be explained primarily by the reluctance to eat pork. Its average total consumption has fallen by around seven kilograms since 1991.
Global demand for meat continues to rise due to economic and population growth, albeit at a slower rate than ten years ago. Poultry accounts for an ever-increasing share of this.
How big the appetite for meat is in Germany now seems to be a question of age. This is shown by a representative youth survey in the 2021 Meat Atlas. It shows that more than 70 percent of 15- to 29-year-olds reject meat production in Germany in its current form. 40 percent of those surveyed said they eat little meat and 13 percent are exclusively vegetarian or vegan - twice as many as the overall average of the population. The critical attitude is justified not least by the clear rejection of the working conditions in the meat industry, which more than 70 percent of those surveyed find repulsive and which have proven to be infection hotspots during the corona crisis - not only in Germany, but in many European countries and the USA. Here at least politicians have acted and with the Occupational Safety and Health Control Act, which came into force on January 1 of this year, ended the era of temporary work and work contracts in slaughtering and cutting in Germany. It is a good start, but only a drop in the ocean when it comes to counteracting the exploitation of people, animals and nature.
"The global trend is alarming," said Barbara Unmüßig, board member of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, at the press conference to present the new Meat Atlas. In her view, the economic interests of the multi-billion dollar meat industry and the political refusal to reform are keeping us on a dramatic wrong path that is exceeding the ecological limits of the planet. "Industrial meat production is not only responsible for precarious working conditions, it also drives people off their land, fuels deforestation, pesticide use and biodiversity loss - and is one of the main drivers of the climate crisis," the political scientist continued. Olaf Bandt, head of BUND, added: "Politicians must take into account society's desire to restructure animal husbandry. This requires a far-reaching political realignment of agricultural policy, but the agricultural turnaround will not be possible without a nutritional turnaround. Low prices make it difficult for farmers to respond to the increased demands for more environmental protection and more animal welfare. The current protests by farmers against the pricing policy of the food retail sector are therefore completely justified. This is another reason why Ms Klöckner must accept her responsibility and implement the results of the livestock farming competence network. This would finally provide a reliable financial basis for animal welfare-friendly livestock farming."
Global meat companies play an important role in how meat and feed are produced, transported and traded.
Germany is the EU's leading producer of pork and milk, with a market share of over 20 percent. A large proportion is exported. "This dependence on the world market is damaging the environment, animals and farms. There are more and more animals on fewer and fewer farms. We cannot afford to lose any more farms if we want to achieve the transformation," Bandt is convinced. Since 2010, the number of fattening pigs per farm has risen from 398 to 653. It is worrying that the number of pigs has risen particularly in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony, where above-average numbers of animals are already kept. This will further exacerbate groundwater pollution in these regions.
Our opinion: Meat consumption is declining in Germany. But this also opens up new opportunities for farm-based food production and for experts who can handle these foods appropriately. With reduced quantities combined with high meat quality, specialists and specialties are gaining importance again. They will then certainly achieve good producer prices again. Such a development is also more environmentally friendly than previous meat production. If the focus is again placed on artisanal, rural, regional food production, this will promote the preservation of a diverse animal and plant world. At the political level, a rethink in agricultural policy is therefore required. Keyword: agricultural turnaround. A task that should be solved jointly by all EU member states.
Further information: The Meat Atlas 2021 is available for download at www.boell.de/fleischatlas or www.bund.net/fleischatlas . The atlas offers a wealth of data on over 50 pages and in over 80 graphics.