The Agriculture Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania emphasized the importance of animal welfare for the social acceptance of dairy farming. It's about improving the health and longevity of dairy cows, "I also see this in the context of our efforts to achieve emission reduction targets in terms of climate protection," said Till Backhaus (SPD) on Monday in Schwerin before an industry meeting on Tuesday. In order to achieve this, both the breeding organizations and research are needed.

From the point of view of the ministry, the health of dairy cows has already improved significantly in recent years. From 2009 to 2022, the proportion of dairy cows that had to be treated for udder diseases during the year fell from 46 to 24 percent. This affected animals from the test herd program, the so-called "RinderAllianz".