According to regional agricultural associations, highway blockades are not yet planned for the coming week. Protests will also be announced well in advance. Whether medium-sized companies will participate depends on their decision and capabilities. Several regional farmer leaders say they are still being addressed about the unnecessary traffic disruptions caused by road blockades.
There is currently no cooperation with truck drivers who last week in some cases joined forces with the tractors of protesting farmers. Nor is there any cooperation with operators of the German Bahn who plan to shut down operations from Wednesday through Monday evening.
Last week, the Agriculture Committee of the Bundestag in Berlin extensively discussed the future of German agriculture, but so far insists on the deemed necessary budget cuts. Although 'alternative financing' is being discussed, nothing concrete has been established yet. The budget must be approved in the Bundestag at the end of this month.
“The budget works just like any other law: only when everything has been negotiated to the end will a final agreement be made,” said DBV chairman Rukwied. This left room to reach another compromise in the coming days. According to him, farmers want to continue fighting for an adequate solution for agricultural diesel. According to the authoritative German weekly Der Spiegel, the issue is no longer just about agricultural diesel, and the German farmers’ union must 'go back to the drawing board.'
Regarding options for financially relieving farmers in other ways, Rukwied said: "We also need to talk about other subjects, but that has to happen afterwards." This made clear that he wants commitments now, and does not want to be given the runaround.
One of those other possibilities is a VAT increase on food or the introduction of a new meat tax, which would cause consumers to pay higher prices for food. Such structural financing for agricultural transition was proposed three years ago by the then Future Commission of former minister Jochen Borchert.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz offered in a speech at the Grüne Woche that the government wants to reduce bureaucracy for farmers. “We are facing major changes, including in agriculture.” However, the changes must be implemented 'carefully.' “There is actually far too much bureaucracy,” Scholz said.