Volt on agriculture

Volt wants to restructure EU farm support by 2030: instead of direct payments, there would be a premium for services that benefit the environment, climate and animal welfare. Agriculture is thereby meant to combine sustainability with economic efficiency.

Farmers get money from the EU today. Volt wants to hand out this money differently. By 2030 there should be a new premium. Money goes to those who do something for the environment, the climate and animals. Fields should become smaller and more varied.

The public-good premium (Gemeinwohlprämie) is to reward, among other things, regenerative farming, organic food, healthy soils, fewer pesticides, more biodiversity and animal protection. Farmland is to be divided into smaller units, and practices such as agroforestry, cover crops or beetle banks are to be strengthened. Digital technology is to make supply chains more transparent and keep ecological and economic goals compatible. Volt also wants to support small seed producers and modern breeding techniques such as CRISPR/Cas.

Volt wants to raise animal welfare in agriculture. CO₂ stunning and tethering are to be replaced by more animal-friendly methods, and animal products are to be clearly labeled by husbandry method and origin.

Volt wants farm animals to have a better life. Animals should no longer be tied up in the barn. Stunning with CO₂ before slaughter should end. Meat and milk should show how and where the animals lived. Pictures should show this.

Animal welfare monitoring is to continue, and investment is to make higher standards possible. Stunning with CO₂ and tethering animals in barns are to be replaced by alternatives. Products of animal origin are to carry husbandry and origin labels, supplemented by realistic images or pictograms. Volt justifies this with more transparency and ethical animal husbandry.