Julia Klöckner

The killing of millions of male chicks in laying hen farming in Germany will be banned from the beginning of 2022. The German government has passed a draft law by Federal Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner (CDU). At the end of the year, this common practice is to be ended. Until now, male chicks have been killed immediately after hatching because raising them is economically unviable.

The German Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection Julia Klöckner has announced she will present an amendment to existing regulations, requiring owners to walk their dogs at least twice a day. Outdoor exercise is already required under the Animal Welfare and Dog Regulation Act, the proposed amendment will stipulate the frequency and duration.

Under the new rules, owners would also be forbidden from tying up their dogs for long periods of time or even leaving them alone all day.

It is estimated that around 20 per cent of the German homes have a dog.

After previously banning the entry of seasonal workers from outside Germany as part of the measures against the coronavirus, the German agriculture minister Julia Klöckner has announced that around 40,000 workers will now be allowed inside the country. In order to secure the harvest of fruits and vegetables, mainly strawberries and asparagus, and at the same time prevent the coronavirus from spreading further, foreign seasonal workers are required to travel by plane and employers are required to do mandatory health checks on arrival. For the first 14 days, the newly arrived workers are also required to work separately from other workers and are not allowed to leave the premises of the company.