As of: February 2, 2024, 8:07 p.m
By: Lisa Metzger
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Horrified and stunned - BBV President Günther Felßner had to listen to a lot at the farmers' demonstration in Berlin.
But the speech by Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner caused him to explode.
Munich/Berlin - Rarely have viewers been able to watch such an emotionally expressive debate as the one that took place on January 15th at the farmers' demonstration in Berlin between Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner and the President of the Bavarian Farmers' Association (BBV).
In the
Today Show
broadcast on January 26th, you can see both of them standing next to each other on the stage at the Brandenburg Gate - the finance minister at the lectern, the BBV president just a few steps to his right.
Felßner's reactions to Lindner's statements speak volumes at this moment - much to the amusement of the audience.
BBV President about Today Show video: “That is completely authentic”
But did the whole thing really happen like that?
– “Yes,” says BBV President Günther Felßner to our editorial team in a telephone conversation.
"It's completely authentic." As far as he can tell, hardly anything was changed in the video - "one cut, two or three seconds at the most," in his opinion that's all the team from the
Today Show
changed.
“I just felt physical pain during the speech,” says Felßner.
“It was just emotional and I expressed what I felt.” Of course, at that moment he was not aware that this would be recorded.
“I was honestly a bit shocked when I saw it,” says Felßner.
“But then my second thought was: That’s exactly what I thought.
And my third thought: That's exactly what all the other farmers thought too." The proof of this is something he has encountered almost every day since then: wherever he goes, he is asked about the video.
“I’m greeted with it everywhere,” says Felßner, and he can laugh at the thought of it himself.
After all, the video is also funny.
Lindner’s aviation argument infuriates Felßner: “That’s where I got bent”
Although the topic and the situation definitely had a serious background for him, as he says.
“I felt massively ripped off by the government.
Aviation makes a contribution to climate protection - anyone who says something like that - that's when I was confused the first time." The second time happened when Lindern said that he would not reverse the cut in the agricultural diesel refund.
Emotionally gesticulating and highly amusing for viewers of the Today Show: At the farmers' demonstration in Berlin on January 15th, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner and the President of the Bavarian Farmers' Association (BBV) exchanged blows.
© IMAGO/photo booth / Reuhl
“Some of them are simply provocative suggestions,” says Felßner, referring primarily to Lindner’s plan to reduce bureaucracy for farmers while he wants to stick to the subsidy cuts.
“If a policy is not able to make laws that lead to little bureaucracy, it is not a good policy,” says Felßner.
Instead, you get the money from elsewhere.
“It ended up in the farmers’ pockets for no reason.”
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Felßner's accusation: bureaucratic madness is driving small farms out of business
Wherever Felßner goes, helplessness, frustration and anger extend far beyond the farmers.
“We saw that during the last protests.” A number of laws are currently making the farmers’ work more difficult.
Felßner complains that the Animal Protection Act will ensure the abolition of ten thousand small farms.
Simply because they are no longer allowed to use their stables.
And the Forest Protection Act is also bureaucratic madness: When felling a tree, you even have to provide geodata and ask for each tree individually.
“It’s madness that’s on the table.” One thing is certain for the BBV president: “If you don’t have the money to implement such laws, you’re not allowed to do them.”
The common denominator is that they have no common denominator in the traffic lights.
Günther Felßner, President of the Bavarian Farmers' Association
(By the way: Our Bayern newsletter informs you daily about all the important stories from Bavaria.)
Farmers have to contribute too much to balance the budget
Despite all the disagreements that took place on stage on this demo day in Berlin, he did see a common denominator: "The common denominator is that they don't have a common denominator in the traffic lights," says Felßner jokingly and laughing.
A common denominator between him and Lindner?
That is more difficult.
“I could understand that everyone has to save and make their contribution to close the budget deficit,” is how he responded to the finance minister.
However, he shows no understanding when it comes to the distribution quota: “The fact that farmers, who make up one percent of the population, should bear three to five percent of the budget restructuring” goes too far for him.
"That can't be."
A continuation of the same thing or a prompt end to the conflict – for Felßner, this decision stands and falls with the decision in Berlin.
For him there is only one solution: “Of course the government has to reverse the cuts completely.”
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