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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- Minister Backhaus proposed that the federal government should reconsider its savings plans, as he believes they are heavily impacting German farmers and the food industry, suggesting alternative measures through SPD-proposed reforms such as the abolition of the company car privilege for hybrid vehicles.
- Till Backhaus, the Agriculture Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and a member of the SPD, stated that the federal government's austerity measures, leading to a savings plan of 17 billion euros, are unfair and disproportionately affecting agriculture, which should only contribute a mere one billion euros.
- In response to the federal government's proposed cuts to agricultural diesel and vehicle tax, Farmers' President Joachim Rukwied urged the coalition government to withdraw the plans, highlighting that abolishing existing tax concessions would add to the financial stress already felt by German farmers, struggling with increased expenditure on energy, fertilizer, and fuel.
- Within the context of federal states' meetings, Minister Backhaus advocated that his counterparts should engage in discussions with Ministers Lindner, Habeck, and the Federal Chancellor, requesting them to review the planned cuts to agricultural subsidies and consider alternative solutions before January 8.
- In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, agriculture is facing financial losses estimated to be 200 to 300 million euros annually due to the inability to fully compensate increased costs, resulting from price pressure from the trade, raising concerns among farmers in the region about the long-term sustainability of agrarian businesses.
Source: www.stern.de
