Agriculture - "Soil Day" - Left party calls for "farmland in farmers' hands"
The Left Party in the Saxon state parliament sees arable land increasingly threatened by other uses. On International Soil Day (December 5) on Monday, it called for an agricultural structure law that prevents land speculation and ensures farmers have access to land.
"Arable land belongs in the hands of farmers, non-agricultural investors must be pushed back. Price caps and pre-emptive rights should make it possible for small farms to acquire land," explained Antonia Mertsching, Member of Parliament. Land companies oriented towards the common good should keep land reserves in public hands and lease them to regional agricultural and forestry businesses.
Mertsching referred to the loss of arable land in recent years. "On average, 5.8 hectares of land have fallen victim to the construction of settlements and transport routes every day since 2000. Arable land is particularly affected: 4.3 hectares are lost to agriculture every day due to the construction of buildings and roads." Valuable land would be lost without replacement. "But soil cannot be increased. That's why sealing must finally be restricted and areas actively unsealed."
Read also:
- In response to the shrinking arable land in Saxony, The Left Party in the state parliament advocates for an agricultural structure law to prevent land speculation and ensure farmers have access to land.
- Antonia Mertsching, a member of the Saxon state parliament's Left Party, emphasized the importance of keeping land in farmers' hands, as 4.3 hectares of arable land are lost daily due to construction activities in the agriculture sector.
- Recognizing the threat of urban expansion to agricultural lands in Saxony, particularly in Dresden, the Left Party suggests implementing measures such as price caps and pre-emptive rights to support small farms and maintain a balanced agriculture-development approach.
Source: www.stern.de
