Admin I Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024
BRUSSELS- European Commission approved on Tuesday two government schemes to help farmers in Germany improve animal welfare standards for pigs.
The two aid programmes totalling €1 billion ($1.1 billion) are to help fund upgrades to pig breeding facilities and establish management practices to improve welfare standards for pigs.
More than half of the money, around €675 million, is in direct grants, covering 60% of costs for better living conditions at pig breeding sites like outdoor access. The scheme runs until 2030.
The second aid programme, around €325 million, running until 2031, is also labelled as direct grants, covering up to 80% of additional costs for better welfare standards like additional bedding or electricity for air conditioning.
According to the commission, supports are to be open to small and medium-sized livestock farms. The EU executive arm said both schemes may be extended in the future to other animals.
The commission is the top EU competition watchdog in the European Union in charge of approving government support schemes to ensure states do not give companies unfair advantages.
In this case, the commission said, among other things, that the German aid was proportionate, as it was limited to the minimum necessary and would only have a limited impact on competition.
