Federal Minister Cem Özdemir visits Stroblhof in Holzkirchen

Created: 06/21/2022, 17:33

Organic farmer Max Müller (r.) hopes that the Federal Minister of Agriculture, Cem Özdemir (middle), will take his visit to the Stroblhof to Berlin with an understanding of the combination husbandry.

The minister was accompanied by Gisela Sengl (left), Member of Parliament for the Greens, and the spokespersons for the Greens, Ludwig Hartmann and Katharina Schulze.

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Holzkirchen – Cem Özdemir (Greens), currently Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, got an idea of ​​​​combi husbandry at the Stroblhof in Holzkirchen-Asberg.

At the invitation of Karl Bär, Member of the Bundestag from Holzkirchner, Cem Özdemir, as Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture (both Greens), visited the Stroblhof in Asberg near Holzkirchen.

There was no specific statement on the combination husbandry.

Max and Hanna Müller are the 29th generation to run the Stroblhof in Asberg.

Since the end of 2019, Demeter hay milk has been produced there in combined husbandry with grazing, which is marketed directly from the farm via a milk filling station and delivered to the Berchtesgadener Land dairy.

What they and many conventional farmers who practice this form of husbandry are missing is a clear commitment from federal politicians as to whether this will still be economically possible in the future.

Plea for combined husbandry with grazing

"What you can see here is exciting and of course makes the heart of a Minister of Agriculture beat faster," said Cem Özdemir appreciatively when looking at the peacefully grazing cows and the organically certified farm.

Max Strobl said: "My father-in-law still ran the business in the traditional way, but to be honest he didn't actually do anything different than we and many other, including conventional businesses, still do today."

This is confirmed by the eco-model region manager Stephanie Stiller, who made a plea for combined husbandry with grazing: "This not only contributes to the health and well-being of the animals, but is also a decisive factor in biodiversity and the preservation of our cultural landscape." The alternative would be , says Stiller, cultivating the meadows with ever larger and heavier implements: "Therefore, if there is a possibility, drive them out."

Animal welfare labeling takes precedence

Marlene Hupfauer, who was a district farmer until the end of May, therefore demanded a statement from Özdemir on this form of husbandry: "It's about the future of our farms - organic or conventional.

Please don't argue around for too long in Berlin, but place this form of husbandry permanently at level 3 at least."

The request to the minister remained unfulfilled.

Instead, Özdemir repeated his new concept for a five-tier state label for animal welfare labeling almost like a mantra: “I took over a ministry that had been poorly managed for over 16 years and that I literally had to clean out first.

Now we are first doing the state animal welfare labeling for more safety for farmers and consumers.”

Frustration at Milchwerke Berchtesgadener Land

At the very least, Özdemir agreed that farmers from Berlin shouldn't be forced to do anything about combined husbandry with grazing: "It's clear that we need timely solutions so that farms don't have to give up and that also take into account the local situation.

For me, timely means: in this legislative period.”

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Bernhard Pointner, Managing Director of Milchwerke Berchtesgadener Land, would expect more: "Our biggest customers like Edeka are not making any efforts to destroy combined husbandry with grazing.

As long as there is no political ban, that is absolutely okay and socially acceptable.” He hopes that the new state animal welfare labeling that is being sought will at least not torpedo that.

Max and Hanna Müller hope that the visit of the Federal Minister of Agriculture has helped them to be able to hand over the Stroblhof to the 30th generation.