German farmers are to receive up to 180 million euros in crisis aid.
The federal government wants to increase crisis aid for German farmers in the tense situation caused by the Ukraine war.
Work is being done to bring up to 180 million euros to the farms for quick help, said Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir (Greens) on Thursday in the Bundestag. For this purpose, the promised 60 million euros from the EU reserve should be increased nationally by 120 million euros. The EU Commission announced on Wednesday that it would make almost 500 million euros available across the EU to cushion the sharp rise in costs for fertilizer and fuel, for example.
Özdemir again turned against demands to make cutbacks in the change towards more sustainability under the impression of the war. If soil, water, biodiversity and climate were not protected, this would lead to crises that would even more jeopardize food security. The war of Russian President Vladimir Putin is a painful way of showing that food policy is also security policy. In order to become more independent of Putin, a more sustainable and crisis-resistant agriculture is needed.
Agricultural politician Karlheinz Busen said for the co-governing FDP: “We can now afford less land set-aside than ever.” In poorer countries, people are acutely threatened by hunger. A shortage of food should not be promoted further by sticking to outdated, supposedly sustainable strategies. There were also calls from the opposition for greater emphasis on food security. Union parliamentary group Vice Steffen Bilger (CDU) said that a break for agriculture was needed.
Özdemir emphasized for Germany: “The food supply is safe.” As a reaction to rising prices, he referred to further relief that the traffic light coalition now wants to initiate. With a view to buying hamsters for individual products, the minister appealed to consumers to act responsibly and sensibly when shopping and to show solidarity.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
