After urgent consultation, the German farmers' association DBV and the major environmental and nature organizations have decided to continue their collaboration in the Agricultural Future Committee (ZKL). In the coming months, they will focus more on broadly supported advice on the transition of agriculture and livestock farming, and focus less on limited parts of government policy, DBV and environmental clubs have agreed.
Last year, the ZKL made several recommendations to reform agriculture. One of the most important points is the recognition that this is a collective responsibility. The committee emphasizes that the agricultural sector must transform to become more environmentally and animal-friendly, while maintaining the economic viability of farmers.
An atmosphere of crisis had arisen between both delegations within the Future Committee in recent weeks after the environmental organizations criticized DBV chairman Joachim Rukwied for the way in which he had openly distanced himself from the ZKL's approval of plans for financing the conversion of outdated livestock stables and increased animal welfare. .
The center-left German traffic light coalition (of SPD, Greens and FDP) wants to partly finance this by increasing the VAT on meat (from 7 to 19 percent), and last month included this in next year's agricultural budget. Rukwied had a lot of comments about this and even threatened new farmers' demonstrations. He blamed the environmental and nature clubs within the ZKL for agreeing to the controversial meat tax, while German politics - in his opinion - is still not bringing enough structural improvements.
During an illuminating conversation last week, the German Farmers' Association reportedly stated that it wanted to continue to support the principles of the ZKL. At the same time, those involved realized that they do not have to blindly follow the coalition's plans. The fact that the ZKL had recently engaged in ad-hoc solutions was a wrong decision, as is recognized by both parties.
Recent discussions between the ZKL and the German government, including a meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, have led to a number of important commitments. Scholz recognized the urgency of the situation and promised to take measures that support both the agricultural sector and environmental goals.