The corona pandemic and the war in Ukraine also show dependencies. Bavaria’s Minister of Agriculture Michaela Kaniber therefore wants to go down the road towards a more independent food supply.
The Bavarian Minister of Agriculture Michaela Kaniber (CSU) does not want to come into similar dependencies as in the energy sector when it comes to the supply of food.
In view of the corona pandemic and the Ukraine war, it is clear that Europe needs food sovereignty, Kaniber told the German Press Agency. That should be discussed at the German Agriculture Ministers’ Conference at the end of March.
In times of globalization and open markets, food security was dismissed by some as old-fashioned, but now people are concerned about the origins of products and supply chains again. “Last year, Russia and Ukraine accounted for 29 percent of the global wheat trade. In the case of sunflower oil, this proportion is almost 80 percent,” said Kaniber. Europe must become independent in the food supply in order not to be open to blackmail. “The fact that we have to reduce food imports from other continents for ethical, environmental and climate protection reasons only reinforces the need.”
But the agricultural production areas are getting smaller and smaller, due to housing construction, infrastructure projects, photovoltaic and wind power plants or for compensation areas. At the same time, society wants fewer fertilizers and pesticides, thereby reducing harvests. “We have to put everything to the test again in the European Union,” demanded the minister. At the moment, consumers do not have to fear any supply bottlenecks, she emphasized.
Source: Stern
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