Farmers - Farmers' protest continues: "At some point the barrel will overflow"
The Brandenburg Farmers' Association considers the federal government 's austerity plans to be unacceptable and is also protesting against cuts in the new year. "At some point, the barrel will overflow," farmers' president Henrik Wendorff told dpa. The federal government wants to cut tax breaks for farmers on agricultural diesel and vehicle tax in order to plug holes in the budget.
Wendorff said: "What are we supposed to drive with, a horse and cart across the fields again?". Farmers have no alternative to diesel fuel, he said. "I don't know of a combine harvester that runs on an electric motor." Although there are now sometimes smaller electric machines in the barn, this is not the case with large machines.
The German Farmers' Association is calling for a week of action from January 8 to protest against the savings plans. On January 15, there will be a large demonstration in Berlin. The transport industry also wants to take part.
The farmers' association in Brandenburg wants to launch poster campaigns and talk to politicians, Wendorff announced. "We want to make it clear that we have already had to accept many cuts this year. There is a lot of resentment on the way." Wendorff said that an average family farm would be burdened with 5,000 euros a year due to the loss of tax relief on agricultural diesel alone.
In addition, the situation for the sector is already tense. Producer prices this year are 30 percent below those of the previous year. Dairy farmers in particular are "putting money on the table", said Wendorff. In addition, a large part of pig farming has already been lost.
According to the association, the two planned cuts would deprive the industry of a total of almost one billion euros. Up to now, farms have been able to claim a partial refund of the energy tax on diesel. The refund amounts to 21.48 cents per liter - the tax rate for agricultural diesel is then 25.56 cents per liter compared to the full tax rate of 47.04 cents.
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The Brandenburg Farmers' Association plans to launch poster campaigns and engage in political discussions, expressing their strong opposition to the federal government's proposed cuts in tax breaks for farmers. The German Farmers' Association has announced a week of action from January 8, and a large demonstration in Berlin on January 15, involving the transport industry, to protest against the savings plans. The federal government aims to save money by reducing tax breaks for agricultural diesel and vehicle tax, which farmers argue is essential for their operations, with no viable alternatives available.
Source: www.stern.de
