I'll get German children eating meat again, vows butcher minister
Germany's new agriculture minister, a Bavarian butcher, says he will take on the country's vegetarian movement and put more meat on school menus.
From the Rhineland to the Polish border, schoolchildren have suffered ever more plates of potato salad and cabbage rolls in recent years – with primary schools in Freiburg even banning meat products entirely.
But that is set to change under Alois Rainer's incoming regime, with the master sausage-maker declaring that meat is part of a balanced diet and should be served regularly, 'especially in kindergartens and schools'.
The 60-year-old politician, from the conservative CDU's Bavarian sister party the CSU, has also vowed to block more meat taxes after the outgoing Green agriculture minister called for a levy of 10 cents on every kilogram.
Mr Rainer's government appointment delighted Markus Söder, the CSU leader, who commented: 'Now we'll have Leberkäse (a German meatloaf) again instead of tofu.'
Cem Özdemir, the outgoing Green minister, introduced vegetarian-only days in his ministry's canteen, which reportedly led to hungry bureaucrats going next door to get their fix of traditional meat dishes.
Rejecting Mr Özdemir's proposed tax increases on meat, Mr Rainer told the Bild newspaper: 'Meat prices are not set by the minister, but by the market.
'Farmers are not children who need to be patronised.'
Mr Rainer said he believed that meat prices could even fall under Germany's new government, which will be led by Friedrich Merz.
A gastronomic rallying cry
Eating meat has become a gastronomic rallying cry for Germany's centre-Right, with Mr Söder frequently posting pictures of classic meat dishes such as bratwurst and Wiener schnitzel online.
The 58-year-old party leader has also frequently taunted his Green opponents, such as outgoing vice-chancellor Robert Habeck, who is openly vegetarian.
Despite Germany's meat-loving reputation, around 1 in 10 Germans now eat plant-based meat replacements daily.
The country consumed 4.44 million tons of meat in 2024, an average of 53.2 kg per person, according to the agriculture ministry.
This was up slightly from the previous two years but still much lower than seven years ago, when Germans ate around 61 kg per person.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
12 hours ago
- Reuters
Germany to hire 11,000 more military personnel this year, Bild reports
FRANKFURT, June 21 (Reuters) - The German government will provide funds for an extra 11,000 military personnel by the end of the year, an increase of around 4%, tabloid Bild reported on Saturday, citing government sources. The money will be provided for 10,000 soldiers and 1,000 civilian employees for the military by end-2025, the newspaper said, adding the move was part of this year's budget planning to be approved by the cabinet next week. The new jobs will cover armed, air, naval and cyber forces, the report said. Germany's Defence Ministry declined to comment. Germany needs up to 60,000 additional troops under new NATO targets for weapons and personnel, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said earlier this month, as the alliance beefs up its forces to respond to what it sees as an increased threat from Russia.
Scottish Sun
12 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Scottish Parliament chief to stand down at next Holyrood election
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HOLYROOD presiding officer Alison Johnstone will stand down as an MSP next year. The former Scottish Greens politician has announced that she won't run in next May's election. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Sign up 2 Alison Johnstone is set to stand down as an MSP Credit: Alamy 2 She has been presiding officer at the Scottish Parliament since 2021 Credit: Alamy Ms Johnstone took on the non-partisan presiding officer position in 2021. Following the last Scottish Parliament election, the Lothians MSP emerged as the only candidate for the Holyrood chamber role. She was elected with 97 votes in favour, 28 against, two abstentions and one spoiled ballot. The job of presiding officer is equivalent to the Speaker of the House of Commons. They are responsible for overseeing business at Holyrood and chairing meetings in the debating chamber. Ms Johnstone, 59, said: 'I was elected in 2011 and it was always my intention that this would be my last term in Holyrood.' She said she did not come from a political background, adding: 'I was not in a political party but campaigned for the creation of a Scottish Parliament and I then worked as an assistant for Robin Harper, the first-ever Green parliamentarian in the UK elected to the first-ever Scottish Parliament.' Recent weeks have seen the Scottish Conservatives accuse Ms Johnstone of bias in her role, an allegation she has always denied. At the end of May, the presiding officer took the rare decision to kick former Tory leader Douglas Ross out of the chamber due to his interjections at First Minister's Questions. During her tenure, Ms Johnstone guided the parliament through the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, which included implementing social distancing and remote working practices. John Swinney defends Gray's car use after minister was 'driven to pub' She was also heavily involved in the ceremony following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, when the King visited the Scottish Parliament to hear a special motion of condolence session. Before entering politics, she was a qualified athletics coach and previously held the east of Scotland titles for the 800m and 1,500m.
STV News
15 hours ago
- STV News
Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone to step down as MSP at election next year
Scottish Parliament Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone has confirmed she will not run to be an MSP again at next year's election. Johnstone, who was elected as a Scottish Green before taking on the non-partisan role in 2021, says she will be leaving politics. Following the last Scottish Parliament election, the Lothians MSP emerged as the only candidate for Presiding Officer and was elected with 97 votes in favour, 28 against, two abstentions and one spoiled ballot. The role of the Presiding Officer is equivalent to the Speaker of the House of Commons and is responsible for overseeing business at Holyrood, chairing meetings in the debating chamber. Speaking to The Times, Ms Johnstone said: 'I was elected in 2011 and it was always my intention that this would be my last term in Holyrood.' She said she did not come from a political background, adding: 'I was not in a political party but campaigned for the creation of a Scottish Parliament and I then worked as an assistant for Robin Harper, the first-ever Green parliamentarian in the UK elected to the first-ever Scottish Parliament.' Recent weeks have seen the Scottish Conservatives accuse Ms Johnstone of bias in her role, an allegation she has always denied. At the end of May, the Presiding Officer took the rare decision to kick former Tory leader Douglas Ross out of the chamber due to his interjections at First Minister's Questions. During her time as Presiding Officer, she steered the parliament through the Covid pandemic restrictions which saw social distancing and remote working practices implemented. She was also heavily involved in the ceremony following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, when the King visited the Scottish Parliament to hear a special motion of condolence session. Before entering politics, Ms Johnstone was a qualified athletics coach and previously held the east of Scotland titles for the 800m and 1500m. Some of her earlier campaigns as a parliamentarian included Fans First, a push for fan ownership of football clubs. She also proposed a ban on fracking and campaigned against benefits sanctions in devolved employment schemes. The 59-year-old is a former co-leader of the Scottish Greens and one of her most prominent campaigns was against the killing of mountain hares. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
