These changes have been included at the proposal of the BMEL agriculture ministry in an amendment to the German Spatial Planning Act. Berlin hopes this will help eliminate administrative and bureaucratic rules. The government wants to encourage German farmers to rent or lease their unused barns and farm buildings to agricultural colleagues who need to expand, or to convert farm buildings into housing.
Furthermore, priority is given to the expansion of residential buildings on agricultural enterprises. This is intended to accommodate the housing needs of different generations on a farm. Due to increased life expectancy, often more than two generations live on a farm.
Therefore, besides expansions of existing residential buildings on the farmyard, the construction of an independent residential building as an extension must also be made possible. Moreover, in both cases the number of possible dwellings is increased to four. The condition is that these are used by previous owners and their family.
This relaxation in procedures for German farmers comes on the eve of the 2025 budget discussion in the Bundestag. Despite a significant cut of about half a billion euros, the agricultural sector is largely spared.
BMEL Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) argued that investments in agriculture are crucial, especially in times of economic uncertainty. “Farmers need to know where they stand,” he said earlier. He criticized his coalition partners SPD and FDP for not yet deciding on the necessary billions for more animal welfare, biodiversity, and implementation of the ZKL future plans. Therefore, last week he again advocated his preference to partially finance this agricultural transition by raising VAT on food.
The decision to largely spare the agricultural sector from budget cuts highlights the strategic value Germany attaches to its agricultural sector, says BMEL. While other sectors face significant cuts, funding for agriculture remains largely intact, including the promised support for introducing a new agricultural insurance scheme.