Government - Backhaus urges withdrawal of savings plans for farmers
According to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Agriculture Minister Till Backhaus (SPD), the federal government's austerity plans at the expense of German farmers are firmly rejected by the heads of the federal states. In a video conference with his counterparts on Friday, he proposed seven measures on how the savings targets can be achieved "without ruining agriculture and the food industry".
At his suggestion, there will be another meeting before January 8. "Until then, the Minister Presidents of the federal states are called upon to approach Ministers Lindner, Habeck and the Federal Chancellor and campaign for the planned cuts to be scrapped and for alternatives to be considered," Backhaus explained after the virtual ministerial meeting.
In his opinion, the farmers' protest is understandable and justified. The federal government would have to save 17 billion euros and agriculture alone would have to contribute one billion. "This is excessive and unfair," Backhaus said on Tuesday in Schwerin when presenting his savings proposals. The SPD politician brought the abolition of the company car privilege for hybrid vehicles into play. He also questioned whether the funds earmarked by the federal government to improve animal welfare would be needed in full. Backhaus said nothing about the response to his savings proposals from the other heads of department.
In Berlin on Monday, thousands of farmers vented their anger with protests and a long convoy of tractors. Farmers' President Joachim Rukwied called on the coalition government to withdraw its plans to cut agricultural diesel and vehicle tax. According to Backhaus, the abolition of tax concessions would further reduce the income of farms. Farmers were already suffering from massively increased expenditure on energy, fertilizer and fuel. Agricultural businesses in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania alone were expecting losses totaling 200 to 300 million euros per year, as the costs could only be passed on in part due to price pressure from the trade.
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Source: www.stern.de
