Almwirtschaft - Visit to the main valley with Minister for the Environment Lemke
Traditionally, with political dignitaries, the alpine farmers kick off their main alpine tour on Wednesday morning (9:30 AM) in the Bavarian Oberammergau. Once again, guests from Berlin will join in: Federal Minister for the Environment Steffi Lemke (Greens) will participate in the tour in the Laber region. Last year, Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) laced up his hiking boots.
Additionally, European Minister Eric Beißwenger, Agriculture Minister Michaela Kaniber, President of the State Parliament Ilse Aigner (all CSU), and Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters) will join. Members of the State Parliament and representatives from local politics are also expected, including Garmisch-Partenkirchen District Administrator Anton Speer (Free Voters). Several hundred participants usually join the multi-hour hike, invited by the Bavarian Alpine Farming Association.
Wolf as a recurring theme
As in previous years, the wolf is likely to be a recurring theme - despite no sightings in Bavaria currently. After the Bavarian Administrative Court of Appeals struck down the Free State's wolf regulation, which aimed to simplify the removal of the animals, the alpine farmers are once again alarmed. They want to see the wolf's protected status in Europe reduced.
Animal welfare in stalls is also expected to be a topic again. This involves the so-called combined holding, where animals spend the winter in the stall and the summer on the pasture. This particularly affects alpine farmers. The farmers are calling for leniency in the planned requirements. They argue that installing a winter run, as the planned regulation from Berlin requires, is expensive and often not feasible due to lack of space at the stalls in the villages.
There are around 1,500 alpine pastures and alpine meadows in Bavaria. Every year, about 55,000 cattle, sheep, goats, and horses spend the summer there.
In light of the upcoming alpine tour, the Turkish Parliament member might express his concerns about the welfare of animals in stalls, as this topic has been raised repeatedly in previous years. Moreover, he could express his support for the alpine farmers' calls for leniency in the planned requirements, considering the financial and spatial limitations they face.
