Overview

• Alois Rainer, a trained butcher and CSU politician, has been named Germany's next agriculture minister under the Merz government.
• Rainer has pledged to veto any new meat taxes, reversing proposals by his Green predecessor to fund animal welfare and climate initiatives.
• He advocates for market-driven meat pricing and suggests prices could decrease, emphasizing a hands-off government approach.
• The minister-designate supports including meat in school and kindergarten meals, opposing purely vegetarian menus in educational institutions.
• Environmental and animal welfare groups, along with opposition figures, have criticized Rainer's stance, arguing it conflicts with efforts to reduce meat consumption and improve sustainability.