The federal government’s concessions in the dispute over agricultural subsidies do not go far enough for German farmers. The farmers’ association made it clear that they were demanding the “complete reversal of these tax increases”. The protest plans remain.
Despite the partial withdrawal of the planned cuts in aid for farmers, the German Farmers’ Association wants to implement its protests next week.
“It’s enough! We demand the complete reversal of these tax increases without any ifs and buts. I expect that tens of thousands of tractors will come to our rallyes all over Germany,” said the president of the farmers’ association, Joaching Rukwied, to the newspaper “Bild”. It goes without saying that this caused traffic disruptions.
Farmers: “Unworldly” Agricultural policy
The farming families are extremely dissatisfied and frustrated, Rukwied continued. “Your impression: In Germany, agricultural policy is made from a quixotic urban bubble and against farming families and rural areas.”
The result could only be that even more farms would give up and even more food would be imported from abroad, said Rukwied. “In the end, the traffic lights make food more expensive and make us dependent on imports from abroad.”
The federal government is partially reversing cuts
The federal government announced on Thursday that it was withdrawing part of the cuts in aid for farmers planned for 2024. Government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit announced that the vehicle tax exemption in forestry and agriculture would not be abolished. The planned abolition of tax relief for agricultural diesel will be implemented gradually over several years.
In the afternoon, Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir unexpectedly appeared in front of the press and said that the “democratic demonstrations” had achieved something. Özdemir had warned of the drastic cuts in agricultural subsidies, which the traffic light is now withdrawing.
“That means the green license plate for farmers will remain,” said the minister.
Union also criticizes
The FDP agricultural politician Carina Konrad welcomed the step. In any case, she did not consider the originally planned cuts to be acceptable. “We put a lot of pressure on it and now there is a workable solution,” said Konrad.
The Federal Minister of Agriculture probably sees it similarly: The step that has now been announced is a compromise, he said with a shrug after his short statement.
Details about the financing are not yet clear. The CDU/CSU is critical of the agreement reached by the traffic light coalition: the partial reversal of the cuts is not enough for their agriculture ministers from the federal states. Bernhard Krüsken from the German Farmers’ Association also remains displeased: “We expected that they would try to calm us down a bit with a partial solution. But that’s something we don’t accept. We’re sticking with it, both parts have to be taken back without replacement.”
Dozens of farmers are demonstrating against cuts in Lower Bavaria
Despite the announcement, farmers demonstrated yesterday in several towns in Lower Bavaria against the federal government’s plans to reduce subsidies. Farmers on 100 tractors first drove to Untergriesbach (Passau district) before registering, before part of the convoy set off for Passau unannounced, as the “Passauer Neue Presse” reported. According to the police, the meeting there was broken up and there were no incidents.
In Bad Birnbach in the Rottal-Inn district, around 50 participants demonstrated with 32 tractors in the evening. No incidents were reported here either. The largest rally was in Straubing. Around midnight, around 3,000 people demonstrated with 1,500 tractors against the dismantling of subsidies. The meeting was peaceful, there were traffic disruptions and noise disturbances, the police said.
Previously, around 100 farmers had attracted attention and a lot of criticism by blocking a ferry in Schleswig-Holstein with Federal Economics Minister Habeck on board.
With information from Uwe Jahn, ARD capital studio
Dietrich Karl Mäurer, ARD Berlin, tagesschau, January 5th, 2024 5:14 a.m