As of: February 26, 2024, 1:10 p.m
By: Franziska Schwarz
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Farmer protests accompany the EU agriculture ministers' meeting, in which Özdemir (Greens) also takes part.
© Benoit Doppagne/Belga/Fabian Sommer/dpa/Montage: IPPEN.MEDIA
Farmers want to be in the field, not in the office, says Agriculture Minister Özdemir.
Will the EU now be able to make smart reforms?
Berlin – The farmers' protests have not gone unheard of.
Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) also called it “legitimate” again – but he criticized “free riders” who were looking for “subversions” or the like.
Recently, demonstrators disrupted Green Party events in Germany on several occasions.
The current European agricultural policy is “a bureaucratic monster,” said Özdemir on the sidelines of a meeting with his EU colleagues in Brussels.
From his point of view, it is important that farmers can “earn good money” by protecting the climate and species.
In addition, dairy farmers should no longer be the “big losers” of EU policy in the future, he said.
Agricultural reform: This is what the EU is demanding
This Monday, the EU agriculture ministers will discuss agricultural reforms.
The EU Commission is proposing new concessions to farmers, primarily these two:
Inspection visits to companies should be almost halved
Under certain circumstances, farmers no longer have to expect penalties for non-compliance with the requirements
Green Özdemir after farmers' protests: No multiple controls
Ideas that Özdemir has been talking about for a while.
Before the meeting in Brussels, he emphasized on
Deutschlandfunk that
multiple work at EU and state level must be avoided.
Although controls are correct, they should not lead to multiple controls.
“But working in parallel, working multiple times, having to provide the same data over and over again, rightly annoys the farmers,” said the Green politician.
The controls are intended, among other things, to check environmental standards such as animal welfare.
When asked whether these would not be lost through more leniency, Özdemir replied on
Deutschlandfunk
: "There are certainly those who now want to use this to roll back so that the status quo is maintained."
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Özdemir: Bureaucracy has led to “catastrophe” in agriculture
Such a “roll back” (i.e. a declining development) must be prevented, because this status quo has brought with it a “catastrophic balance sheet”.
Germany currently has around 40,000 fewer agricultural businesses than in 2010, Özdemir complained on
Deutschlandfunk.
A few hours later in Brussels, Özdemir formulated his concern as follows: “Field work instead of paperwork is the order of the day.” An average farmer spends a quarter of his time at his desk.
Meanwhile, there were massive protests in Brussels.
According to police, demonstrators blocked traffic with around 900 tractors.
Concrete decisions from the agriculture ministers are not yet expected this Monday (February 26).
(frs with AFP)