Impending shortage of grain: Özdemir wants to reconsider set-aside

In the EU, four percent of agricultural land is to be set aside for environmental reasons. In order to counteract the threat of famine caused by the Ukraine war, Minister of Agriculture Özdemir is open to suspending the project.

In view of concerns about impending famine in poor countries, Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir is willing to temporarily suspend the planned set-aside of agricultural land in the EU. “I’m ready, I’ll stretch out my hand, let’s work together,” said the Green politician in Munich.

Bavaria’s Agriculture Minister Michaela Kaniber had previously asked Brussels and the coalition in Berlin to carry out an impact assessment of the expected harvest losses from set-aside land. “When it comes to energy, we saw how bad it is to be open to blackmail,” said the CSU politician about the feared stop in Russian gas supplies. Europe needs raw material security in all areas, including forestry and agriculture.

Kaniber: Animal and plant protection is out of the question

The two politicians met at a panel discussion at the opening of the “Interforst” trade fair. It has been agreed in the EU that from 2023 four percent of the agricultural area should no longer be farmed in order to preserve the diversity of flora and fauna. Kaniber emphasized that she does not question this goal: “We stand by the Green Deal.”

Özdemir wants to talk to the farmers and their officials about the fact that local agriculture should not lead to deforestation in other parts of the world: “Then we’ll talk about the fact that soy is grown in Brazil, which is then fed here,” he said Minister of Agriculture. “We are helping to ensure that valuable forest is lost.”

“Tackle things that really make a difference”

This refers to the fact that the cultivation of soy as feed for cattle and other livestock has expanded significantly in recent decades, with the result that forests are disappearing in tropical and subtropical countries. “Let’s then tackle the things that are really useful and learn from the mistakes of the past,” said the Green politician.