The planned removal of subsidies for agriculture has met with strong criticism from farmers. Speditionwoche warns of delivery bottlenecks.
The planned removal of subsidies for agriculture continues to agitate people: the freight forwarding industry, which wants to take part in a week of protest against agricultural policy called by the farmers’ association in January, referred to possible supply bottlenecks. The Federal Environment Agency, however, expressed support for the planned end of the subsidy for agricultural diesel. Protests by farmers against austerity policies were planned again in several cities on Saturday.
The President of the Federal Association of Freight Transport and Logistics (BGL), Dirk Engelhardt, told the “Bild” newspaper that the farmers and the transport industry kept the country running. “No farmers and no trucks mean no supply.” With their protests in January, farmers and the transport industry would “show the traffic light government what they think of their anti-business policies,” said Engelhardt. “It’s now five past twelve.”
Farmers’ association plans protest week
“We will demonstrate peacefully but clearly throughout Germany,” said farmers’ president Joachim Rukwied on Friday about the week of action. “The tax increase plans must be withdrawn,” he demanded. A large demonstration is planned in Berlin on January 15th.
Support for farmers comes from the federal states. Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Agriculture Minister Till Backhaus (SPD) commented on a video conference between his state colleagues and Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) on Friday. He shares their opinion: the measures proposed by the federal government for the agricultural sector “have to be taken off the table”. Agriculture and the food industry are “systemically relevant”. According to Backhaus, there will be another meeting before the start of the protest week.
Farmers protest in cities
Opposition comes from the Federal Environment Agency: “We can no longer encourage things in the wrong direction,” said the head of the authority, Dirk Messner, to the Germany editorial network. It is therefore right to remove the agricultural diesel subsidy. The use of fossil energy should not be encouraged. Instead, Messner suggested giving farmers more support in climate transformation.
According to police, around 350 tractors and trucks came together for a rally in Holzminden, Lower Saxony, on Saturday, and another demonstration was planned in Hermeskeil in Rhineland-Palatinate. On Monday, thousands of farmers drove to Berlin with their tractors to take part in a large rally. Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir was booed. Here you can read more about it.
