Michaela Kaniber is happy: According to the Agriculture Minister in Bavaria, structural change in agriculture is slower than in any other federal state.
Jakob Maier cannot share this joy.
Erding - The district chairman of the Bavarian Farmers' Association points to the other side of the balance sheet: More and more farms are dying, more and more are switching to part-time jobs.
This increases the size of the business - for the Niederdinger it is a creeping farewell to the much-vaunted small-scale rural agriculture.
The state statistical office for the district of Erding is presenting alarming figures: For the first time, the number of businesses has slipped below the 2000 mark.
The last time it was only 1987. For comparison: In 2000 there were 2432 farms in Erdinger Land, in 2005 there were 2363, 2010 only 2146 and 2015 2059. Because the areas are not simply disappearing, the average farm size increases: from 24, 4 hectares in 2000 to 29.7 last year.
Not only that: According to Maier, more and more farmers are switching to part-time jobs.
Most recently, the rate in the district was 55 percent.
That means: More than every second farmer still works in another profession.
This is usually only possible or better if you give up labor-intensive animal husbandry.
The official figures confirm the findings of the BBV boss.
The number of cattle kept in the district has fallen from just under 121,000 in 2000 to slightly more than 87,000 in the previous year.
The pig population decreased from almost 69,000 to almost 53,000.
Only in the case of poultry has there been a strong increase: 20 years ago there were almost 80,000 animals; now there are over 200,000. No wonder: poultry is becoming increasingly popular with consumers.
Kaniber believes that there is still no question of a “structural break” in agriculture.
It makes them proud that the structural change is the slowest here, although Bavaria has the most farms and the smallest farm sizes.
For them, the upcoming negotiations on the common agricultural policy at European level are crucial in order not to accelerate change.
Her goal is to "concentrate entirely on small businesses and areas when redistributing the premiums".
Maier, meanwhile, wonders what Kaniber is proud of.
Is it really a good sign that there are fewer and fewer livestock farms?
"Farms with little space in particular achieve the added value necessary for their main income through animal husbandry."
Maier sees the quota of part-time businesses, which has recently risen to 55 percent, with mixed feelings.
On the one hand, he welcomes the external income of his colleagues, who allowed the farms to continue operating.
But it pains him that the change is often the reason to give up animal husbandry - too expensive and too time-consuming.
And experience shows that it is not uncommon for the next generation to give up agriculture.
"The structural change is taking place covertly and with a delay," said the district chairman.
He also believes that development will progress “because there are constant new requirements and prohibitions in politics preventing any planning and investment security and leading to uncertainty.
Many young people no longer want to do that to themselves ”.
The trend towards larger units is obvious.
An analysis by the cooperative DZ Bank shows that Maier is right.
In 20 years there will be only 100,000 farms instead of 260,000, with an area of 160 instead of 62.4 hectares today.
Maier sees only one way to slow down this development: "We have to talk about money." The economic indicators are "catastrophic".
The nutritional level earns an average of 2500 euros gross per month, 1300 euros less than the average full-time employee.
However, the farmers would have to work up to 400 hours per month - without more than 30 days of vacation.
Consumers benefit from low food prices because they have more money for other services and goods.
In 1975 the average German spent 23 percent of his income on food.
Most recently it was only 14 percent.
Maier would like to break the dominant position of the food retail trade.
Instead, agricultural producer groups would have to be large enough to no longer have to be dictated by prices.
Small farms need more funding.
“Anyone who wants more biodiversity has to pay for it”, demands Maier, who also believes “that an organic quota must not lead to prices being lowered”.
In addition, he calls for a tax exemption for compensation payments and more money for maintaining the cultural landscape.
Otherwise the change will accelerate.
ham