The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Dispute over the insect protection plan of the federal government

2021-02-03T20:13:59.313Z


A new law on insect protection is causing trouble in the federal government - and criticism is also being voiced in the federal states. The restrictions go too far for farmers and Union politicians.


A new law on insect protection is causing trouble in the federal government - and criticism is also being voiced in the federal states.

The restrictions go too far for farmers and Union politicians.

Munich / Berlin - The Federal Environment Ministry headed by SPD Minister Svenja Schulze is planning to significantly limit the use of the controversial pesticide glyphosate.

In addition, according to the “Insect Protection Action Plan”, herbicides and insecticides that are dangerous to bees should no longer be used in areas that are particularly worthy of protection, such as in so-called FFH areas or bird protection areas.

A ban on pesticides is also planned on a ten meter wide strip of water.

But the Ministry of Agriculture, led by Julia Klöckner (CDU), apparently does not want to support the draft ordinance in its current form.

Now a meeting in the Chancellery is supposed to contribute to the arbitration before a decision in the Federal Cabinet next week.

Some of the federal states' agricultural ministries are also protesting.

So yesterday, Bavaria's Agriculture Minister Michaela Kaniber (CSU) criticized the plans from the Federal Environment Ministry.

The planned strengthening of insect protection is to be welcomed.

The bans discussed would, however, lead to far-reaching and disproportionate restrictions on agriculture in Natura 2000 areas, which include the FFH protected areas and the bird protection areas.

Kaniber sees the compromise that the state government concluded with representatives of agriculture and nature conservation associations after the bee referendum is in danger.

Environmental services, for which Bavarian farmers are currently rewarded with state subsidies, could become a duty in the future - and the farmers would be left without compensation, so the fear.

The farmers' association is alarmed.

When defining the Natura 2000 areas, it was promised that land management could continue there, emphasizes Bavaria's farmer president Walder Heidl.

But now there was a threat of further bans and additional large-scale protected areas.

Schulze's suggestions are "excessive".

Heidl called on the state government to stop the federal plans.

At a demo on Thursday in Berlin, the German Farmers' Association wants to demand corrections from the politicians.

At the State Association for Bird Protection (LBV), a member of the support group of the bee referendum, one is surprised that Kaniber is now citing the referendum as a key witness for their intervention.

"The protected areas are a key element when it comes to using fewer pesticides," emphasizes LBV Chairman Norbert Schäffer.

The primary goal must be to significantly reduce the use of pesticides.

Regardless of whether on a voluntary basis or by force.

“The main thing is that something happens.” However, Schäffer does not consider blanket bans in protected areas as planned by Schulze to be necessarily sensible.

"We consider isolated exceptions, such as in the meadow harrier areas in the Ochsenfurt Gau, to be entirely possible." DOMINIK GÖTTLER

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-02-03

You may like

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-28T06:04:53.137Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.