Expert commission calls for higher VAT on meat

Better breeding

10. April 2024 2:09 p.m. Robert Klatt

A federal government expert commission is calling for higher VAT on meat. The additional income is expected to benefit animal welfare.

Berlin, Germany). In Germany, meat and other foods are relatively cheap relative to income. Economists from the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) are therefore calling for a price increase from 2022. According to them, the additional income should be used to cover the high externalized costs of food production and to improve animal welfare. . Now this requires it too Commission for the Future of Agriculture (ZKL), an expert committee of the federal government, an increase in meat prices.

According to the ZKL, VAT should be increased from the current 7 percent to 19 percent. According to the key points document, the additional income should be invested in improving conditions for raising farm animals. Recently, a study by the European Consumer Organization (BEUC) showed that many consumers are already willing to accept higher prices if it benefits animal welfare.

Better breeding in Germany

ZKL members believe that consumers should share the high costs of converting to animal-friendly livestock farming. According to them, increasing VAT on meat is the easiest way to achieve this.

Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir (Greens) has already stated that the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) is also open to the ZKL proposal. According to him, higher VAT revenues could be used to finance public financing of a stable conversion. But until now, agriculture has largely rejected this option.