After years of disputes, a broad consensus was reached in the summer for a conversion of agriculture towards more environmental and animal protection. The additional costs of an agriculture that is more efficient in terms of ecology and animal welfare would have to be paid in part on the markets. If food becomes more expensive, this should be supported socially for the low-income. The chairman of the commission, Peter Strohschneider, had said that the necessary transformation would cost more than was previously envisaged in national and European public budgets.
Kai Niebert, President of the German Nature Conservation Ring, said on Tuesday that the Agriculture Future Commission (ZKL) had presented a concept to save farms and nature. “The explorations of the new coalition for agriculture should therefore end after two words: implement the ZKL.”
The Vice-President of the German Farmers’ Association, Werner Schwarz, called for the results of the commission to be fully implemented: “Without sustainable agriculture, the challenges cannot be met. This requires appreciation, added value, economic viability and prospects for agriculture. ”From the point of view of Jörg-Andreas Krüger, President of the German Nature Conservation Union, farmers must be fairly rewarded for climate, nature and environmental protection measures.
The chairman of the Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation Germany (BUND), Olaf Bandt, called for a state-supported conversion program for livestock farming as well as a binding pesticide reduction strategy to protect biodiversity. It is just as important that politics improve the framework conditions for fair prices for producers. Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Association, stated: “Climate protection is not possible without animal welfare, agriculture cannot be done without more animal welfare.” A total of ten agricultural and environmental associations took part in the joint appeal.