Germany’s Agriculture Ministry has nominated conservative lawmaker Silvia Breher as the government’s next animal welfare commissioner.
Breher is expected to give animal welfare a “strong voice” at the national level, Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer said on Friday.
“As a committed, technically knowledgeable and politically experienced member of the Bundestag, she brings exactly the combination of expertise, sound judgement and creative power necessary to further advance animal welfare,” Rainer said.
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Once approved by the Cabinet, Breher is set to succeed Ariane Kari, who was appointed by former agriculture minister Cem Özdemir in 2023.
Breher, already deputy chair of the Christian Democrats and parliamentary state secretary at the Agriculture Ministry, described the new task as a “great responsibility.”
“Dialogue with animal welfare associations, the agricultural sector, science and society is particularly important to me,” she said in a statement.
The internal appointment also has bureaucratic benefits. “When filling this position, it is particularly important to me that it is meaningfully embedded in existing structures without creating new bureaucracy,” Rainer said.
He said the solution is also designed to avoid placing an additional burden on the federal budget.
The federal animal welfare commissioner contributes to legislative processes on animal welfare issues, addresses abuses in the treatment of animals and acts as a point of contact for organizations and citizens.
Source: dpa
