Hubert Aiwanger turns the corner, “Servus beinand”, and marches straight towards the pasture: “Schauma moi, whether the cows are allowed to shit now.” Of course, they are allowed to do so here on the meadows of farmer Georg Schweiger, in the village of Pähl in the Weilheim-Schongau district. However, the fact that they did it when the farmer drives his cattle out to pasture and back into the barn recently annoyed a local resident. In his opinion, the cow dung density on the street was so great that he had to complain to the authorities – and they issued a fine plus fees of around 130 euros. Economics Minister Aiwanger, reinforced by members of his FW parliamentary group, therefore drove to Päh on Monday. To set a “sign” for the farmers. And to donate the 130 euros to Schweiger, from a private pocket and wrapped in transparent film so that you can see every note – if the cause ends amicably, the money will go to the local kindergarten.
The world is worried about energy or inflation – and Bavaria’s economics minister about cow dung? Of course not, Aiwanger also works “continuously” on the big issues, according to FW circles. That’s actually true, on Tuesday he wants to visit the gas storage facility in Haidach, Austria. But there is the fact, one still hears, that agriculture is “passion” of the agricultural engineer Aiwanger. It doesn’t happen that he sits there strategically – but he is constantly asked what he thinks of topics, or asked for help by farmers. That he isn’t even Minister of Agriculture? incidental. A reporter on the pasture wants to know whether he has coordinated with the actual department head Michaela Kaniber (CSU) on the Pähl policy. “It’s a topic that I’m quite entitled to alone,” says Aiwanger.
The Complainant is “a Zuagroaster”
As is well known, in the CSU they roll their eyes because of the secondary Minister of Agriculture Aiwanger. However: Science Minister Markus Blume (CSU), for example, likes to interpret his departmental boundaries so generously that he poaches in Aiwanger’s horse, especially high-tech. “Shameless” is what some volunteers call it. In the CSU, on the other hand, one often hears that this is necessary because Aiwanger tends to take care of inns, dung heaps and mountain railways. Such friction is a good way to tell that there are already state elections next year.
Aiwanger’s passion can undoubtedly be felt in Pähl, enough reporters are there to document his words of praise for Bavaria’s farmers. Some cows are interested in the hustle and bustle, others not, one moves close to Aiwanger during the interview, another snorts as if nothing happened. What are the postcard pictures, asks the minister, that people want to see around the world? Churches, traditional costumes, cows in the pasture, he says. The local resident, on the other hand – a “zuagroaster”, which means “nothing, we are cosmopolitan” – should have taken a shovel and taken the cow dung with him to fertilize tomatoes; if he has a garden and not a stone desert. The reason for the visit almost fades into the background. Farmer Schweiger also speaks into many cameras, standing at attention and stoically with a bow tie on his face. The car of the resident got “a bit dirty”, but then it rained anyway.
For the Free Voters, the date pays off twice – after all, it is the ideal opportunity to promote the latest initiative. You want Bavaria’s “sensual heritage” – typical smells and sounds of agriculture, but also church bells – placed under protection by the Federal Council. That can be interpreted in a variety of ways, explains Aiwanger, in Hamburg it could be the fish market and the ship’s horn. In any case, FW parliamentary group leader Florian Streibl emphasizes that this with the cows is “a typical case”. One must prevent “country life from being sued away”.