Cem Özdemir meets critical young farmers
Created: 07/26/2022, 08:34
By: Sabine Fleischer
Hans Drexl (middle) and his son Georg (left) show the GREEN politicians Cem Özdemir, Ludwig Hartmann, Gabriele Triebel and Gisela Sengl the almost dried-up broad beans behind their farm in Kaufering.
© Fleischer
Kaufering - Diversity in agriculture, expansion of organic farming to 30 percent, modernization of animal husbandry, food security despite farms dying out, land consumption and prescribed fallow land: Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir and representatives of the GREEN parliamentary group had a lot to talk about during their flying visit to the district.
Organic farmer Hans Drexl - also district chairman of the Bavarian Farmers' Association - showed Özdemir and parliamentary group leader Ludwig Hartmann everyday life on his organic farm in Kaufering on Monday;
with one of the party Green MP Gabriele Triebel and agricultural policy spokeswoman Gisela Sengl as well as representatives of the Bavarian Farmers' Association and the Federal Association of German Dairy Farmers and young farmers from the region.
At each station, Drexl and his son explained the challenges of a farmer today - in the spelled tenne, the difficult market situation when selling spelled or at the farm's own potato packaging plant, the high demands of consumers for perfect potatoes or the effects of climate change in agriculture.
"Due to the high temperatures, we're harvesting two weeks earlier this year with 170 millimeters less rain than usual and we're still in the promised land here," said Drexl.
Özdemir was able to see for himself just how dry it is: the field beans behind the farm have not survived the hot temperatures of the past few weeks.
The minister felt vindicated in continuing to promote climate protection: "A pause in climate protection now because of the Ukraine war leads straight to disaster."
The subsequent discussion with the (young) farmers in the region dealt with very pragmatic issues: the frustration caused by the constant flow of new EU rules, too much bureaucracy (25 percent of working hours), the implementation of the 4 percent set-aside from 2023 , the planning uncertainty with necessary investments as well as the bad image and hostilities in everyday life.
In particular, many farmers see the "forbidden" greening of the areas to be set aside as counterproductive, important good soil for food security is lost, the "weed pressure" with a simultaneous forced reduction in pesticides would be even higher.
Cem Özdemir repeatedly referred to measures in the triad of his agenda "food security - biodiversity - climate protection".
He also relies on new findings from science and research.
Ludwig Hartmann brought up possible "agricultural protection areas" in order to stop surface consumption such as "by building a new district office on good arable land in a rain-proof area".
The minister promised to lobby the finance minister to extend subsidies to include running costs.
But the farmers see this critically.
"We want to live by ourselves and not become even more dependent," said young farmer Franz Sießmeir from the heart of those present.
A stable operating license for 20 years would help more.