Greening agriculture

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The greening of agriculture refers to the promotion of more environmentally friendly and sustainable agricultural production . The term agricultural turnaround is also used for this in public discussion . It stands for a paradigm shift in agricultural and consumer policy .

Conventional Agriculture Problems

The decisive factors for the turnaround in agricultural policy were the ecological and social problems associated with conventional land management. These have been widely known in the public consciousness since the late 1960s, even if they initially only played a subordinate role in the environmental debate. Since then, political interventions have improved the ecological situation in Western countries, but the all-clear cannot be spoken of.

These problems can basically be divided into the three areas of ecology, structural policy and animal welfare. A fundamental problem lies in the high energy consumption of conventional agriculture, which is mainly related to the energy consumption in the production of mineral fertilizers (especially nitrogen fertilizers ) and pesticides . While agriculture was both a material and energy producer until industrialization , in the fossil energy system it changed into a pure material producer with a negative energetic harvest factor; d. H. industrial agriculture works with a net import of fossil fuels . In addition, there are other pressures such as soil erosion , soil degradation and soil acidification up to the complete destruction of the soil. In addition, the soil, groundwater and other bodies of water are often polluted by fertilizers (nitrates) and pesticides, and greenhouse gases such as methane or nitrous oxide are emitted . This is accompanied by secondary pollution such as the eutrophication of bodies of water, the accumulation of pesticide and fertilizer residues in the soil with effects on groundwater and drinking water reservoirs, the salinisation of soils, which is a major problem in arid regions with artificial irrigation , and an acceleration of climate change through greenhouse gas emissions. Tight crop rotations and very large fields as a result of land consolidation , land reforms and clearing of hedges , in turn, lead to reduced species diversity and biodiversity .

If all these external effects were added to the sales prices as external costs, the prices would, in the opinion of Volkert Engelsman, align with those of organic food .

livestock farming

Animal husbandry, especially factory farming, has come under fire due to ecological, hygienic and ethical problems. Above all, the keeping of very large herds of livestock (with the corresponding problems as a result of a large amount of manure in a small area) and the possibly necessary administration of antibiotics to maintain animal health, which in turn can lead to resistance to pathogens, are controversial .

The BSE crisis had put animal husbandry at the center of public discussion. In this area, the assessment by specialist science and farmers' associations on the one hand and the published opinion and the Minister of Agriculture were diametrically different.

"In a population that is largely alienated from agriculture, which is mainly motivated by its own love of animals and keeping pets when it comes to animal welfare, the production-economic aspects of agriculture meet with great skepticism"

- Achim Spiller

The main area of ​​conflict in the animal welfare policy of the red-green federal government was the ban on keeping hens in cages. The poultry production based largely predominantly on the farming methods of caging . 84% of the animals were kept in this form. A switch to floor or free range husbandry was supported by all parties. At the European level, a Europe-wide ban had been decided from 2009. To support the necessary investments by farmers, funds were available within the framework of the EU agricultural investment promotion program, which was supplemented in September 2002 by the federal program for the promotion of animal-friendly forms of husbandry .

The conflict arose from the fact that the red-green federal government pronounced the ban in Germany for 2007, two years earlier than in neighboring EU countries. The opposition from the CDU and FDP, the scientific community and the agricultural associations feared a migration of egg production to neighboring countries. This would serve neither animal welfare nor domestic agriculture nor (due to the transport routes) food safety and ecology. The worries turned out to be well founded. While in 2005 75% of eggs were still produced in Germany, in 2010 it was only around 50%.

Agricultural policy of the red-green federal government (1998-2005)

The term agricultural turnaround was anchored and coined in the political debate in Germany in 2001 as a reaction to the first BSE case by the red-green federal government (1998 to 2005). A realignment of agricultural policy and a greening of production, trade and consumption were condensed into the term agricultural turnaround. Among other things, this was served by the introduction of a new state organic seal based on EU standards on September 1, 2001. Particularly under the first red-green federal government, the starting position for lobbying by environmental NGOs improved significantly.

backgrounds

Agricultural policy takes place on several levels (EU, federal government, states, municipalities). In Europe, it is primarily shaped by the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The share of agricultural subsidies accounts for around 40% of the EU budget. The agricultural policy of the EU thus has a considerable control effect in agriculture - after all, the subsidy payments represent an important part of the income for many farms. Compared to this, the influence of German federal policy through financial control of the agricultural sector is small.

For decades, agricultural policy was made “by farmers for farmers”. The producer, not the consumer, was the focus of political interest. The interests of the small but well-organized group of farmers, which is also relevant in elections, were the linchpin of political debates and decisions. Agricultural policy was clientele policy for a long time - the public's interest in the subject of agriculture was rather low. The socio-political orientation of agriculture was justified with a historically based focus on security of supply at reasonable prices and competitiveness in open markets. In the responsible ministry, graduates from the agricultural science faculties predominated.

In terms of party politics, the Union parties represented the farmers' interests. The SPD also had strongholds in rural areas, whereas the Greens primarily represented an urban clientele.

With the emergence of BSE in 2000, public interest in agriculture changed abruptly. This offered the possibility of structural changes. Non-governmental organizations and the previously marginalized agricultural opposition (today the agricultural alliance ) gained relevance in the public discourse. Since then, agricultural sciences and agricultural policy have been increasingly forced to re-establish old principles - or to change them.

The political change that has been initiated in Germany, known as the agricultural turnaround, thus primarily refers to an opening up of the political field - and not exclusively to so-called “hard policy instruments”. The agricultural turnaround also represents a shift from a producer-oriented policy to a consumer-oriented policy. Institutional changes and an opening up of the topic to new actors and the public can also be seen as part of the turnaround.

Coalition agreement

A “realignment of agricultural policy” was discussed - sometimes controversially - during the time of the red-green federal government (1998 to 2005).

Under the title “Strengthening rural areas - safeguarding agriculture”, the SPD and the Greens described their goals in agricultural and consumer policy in their coalition agreement of 1998, thus setting new priorities in relation to the policy of the previous CDU and FDP government. As part of the reform of the common agricultural policy of the European Union, a grassland premium and a delivery right model for milk should be introduced. In the joint task of agricultural structure and coastal protection, the area of ​​contractual nature conservation and organic farming should be expanded and regional processing and marketing should be included. The sales fund law should be reformed and also geared towards regional and ecological products. Antibiotic feed additives and performance enhancers should be banned. Renewable raw materials should be promoted more in the areas of building and living, vegetable oils and biomass. Organic farming should primarily be strengthened through sales and marketing promotion. An initiative to include animal welfare in the Basic Law was announced and improvements in animal welfare were agreed.

The agreements of the coalition agreement met with clear criticism. In addition to the opposition from the CDU and FDP, it was above all the farmers' association that expressed criticism. The focus of the criticism was the project to link the agricultural subsidies to environmental requirements and the lack of a clear statement to speak out against a cut in prices for beef, grain and milk in the upcoming agricultural negotiations in the EU. But there was also criticism from environmental organizations, the agreements did not go far enough. In particular, it was criticized that (at the request of the SPD) no moratorium on the release of transgenic plants had been agreed.

In First Schröder cabinet was Karl-Heinz Funke (SPD) Minister of Food, Agriculture and Forestry .

Agricultural policy of the red-green federal government after the BSE crisis

On November 30, 2000, the then Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder called in the German Bundestag against the background of the BSE crisis "to develop a perspective for a different, consumer-friendly agriculture, ie to move away from the agricultural factories". During the debate, Agriculture Minister Funke expressed concern about this demand, since, on the contrary, increasing liberalization of the markets and globalization also required an increase in specialization and rationalization in the agricultural sector. The term "agricultural turnaround" was then used in the first government declaration of the subsequent Federal Minister for Consumer Protection and Agriculture Künast at the beginning of 2001. The content of the "agricultural turnaround" was linked to the demand for a new "consumer protection and agricultural policy". In 2001 the name of the Federal Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Forests was changed to the Federal Ministry for Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture (since 2005 Federal Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection ). In terms of content, the agricultural turnaround was also justified by the need for “preventive consumer protection” as a reaction to the outbreak of BSE. In particular, the agricultural policy geared towards "mass production" was interpreted by Künast as the cause of the animal disease. The proportion of organic farming should be increased to 20% within 10 years. The farmers' association rejected the term "agricultural turnaround" at the time, as it disparaged the work of farmers. The then Federal Minister Künast was attacked and booed at farmers' days. At that time, Künast spoke of the "magic hexagon of the agricultural turnaround" and addressed various (social) groups:

  • Consumers: In the future, consumers should be allowed to influence the production of food on the basis of labels.
  • the farmers: In agriculture more emphasis should be placed on quality instead of quantity alone. There should be an alliance between the farmers and nature. She called for more direct and regional marketing.
  • the feed industry: The quality of feed should be ensured against the background of the BSE epidemic and the meat and bone meal scandals.
  • the food industry: Here, too, more emphasis should be placed on quality than on quantity.
  • The retail trade: The minister called for “change through trade” and called on the retail sector to also focus on quality in competition.
  • Politics: In addition to concrete measures to deal with the BSE crisis and the meat and bone meal scandal, politicians should advocate more ecological land management, more species-appropriate animal husbandry and the safeguarding of jobs in rural areas.

In addition to the economic consequences of this policy, the farmers' associations primarily criticized the fact that they were pilloried by the federal government (and environmental associations). The farmers 'association formulated the farmers' association at the end of 2001. The opposition parties also made this accusation, which was also made by Waltraud Wolff (SPD) in the Bundestag ("The farmers do not belong.") The farmers are deeply insecure by the "Künast effect" and the "battle concept of an agricultural turnaround" the pillory! ") was shared. In a survey published by the magazine Top agrar in December 2012, according to its own information, representative survey, Renate Künast's “new agricultural policy” was rated positively by only four percent of farmers. It received an average school grade of 4.73 from the total of surveyed farmers. She also only got a 3.3 from the managers who said they were ecologically responsible.

The resignation of the scientific advisory board at the BMVEL

The Scientific Advisory Board at the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture existed since 1950 and was the official agricultural science advisory body of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture . It consisted of independent agronomists, the members were appointed by the ministry on the proposal of the advisory board. When Ms. Künast took office, two advisory councils, one for consumer protection and one for agricultural policy, were to be created instead. It was even more important that the minister should have the right to propose to the advisory board. In addition, the term of office was to be reduced from 6 to 3 years, which would have led to the majority of members leaving. The Scientific Advisory Board reacted with the much-noticed resignation on November 23, 2001. While the TAZ commented “The previous advisory board was jointly responsible for the mistakes of the old agricultural policy”, the FAZ stated “that Künast should fill the Advisory Board differently and place members there who share their view of the ecological orientation of agriculture ”. Bauer President Gerd Sonnleitner (the farming community itself was in the past, often the focus of criticism of the Advisory Board) suggested the minister wanted to create an advisory board with her genehmeren members, pointing to a critical position paper of many agricultural economists, including members of the Advisory Board that the current agricultural policy treated.

As a result, two new advisory boards were created. In September 2002 the Scientific Advisory Board for Consumers and Nutrition Policy was established and in January 2003 one for agricultural policy, sustainable land management and the development of rural areas. Of the 15 previous members, only 5 were newly appointed.

In addition to this new appointment, the dismissal of the crop cultivation expert , Hermann Schlagheck , the long-standing head of Department 5 (rural areas, social order, plant production, etc.) by Ms. Künast was a personnel decision that was discussed in public. The official justification "different views on the direction of the house" was often interpreted to mean that the Federal Plant Variety Office subordinate to it had taken a different view of the genetic engineering law than the minister.

Reorganization of consumer protection

An essential part of agricultural policy after the BSE crisis was the concentration of responsibility for consumer protection issues in the Ministry of Agriculture, which was also reflected in the change of the name of the ministry. An important aspect of consumer protection, food safety, was previously part of the BMELF. In addition, the Federal Ministry of Health had a consumer protection department with around 50 employees. The Ministry of Economic Affairs also had a department for consumer policy. With the organizational decree of the Federal Chancellor of January 22, 2001, the consumer protection functions were concentrated in the BMELF. As part of this reorganization, the Federal Institute for Consumer Health Protection and Veterinary Medicine (BgVV) was assigned to the BMELF (and dissolved in the following year).

A commission headed by the then President of the Federal Audit Office , Hedda von Wedel , was supposed to carry out an analysis of weak points in relation to food safety and work out solutions.

In May 2003 the federal government passed the “Consumer Protection Action Plan”. In anticipation of this program, the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment and the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety were formed from the BgVV .

While these organizational changes met with little public interest, the most important legislative project of the federal government became a political issue and failed. With the draft of a Consumer Information Act , German companies should be obliged to publish a range of information and the ministry should be given the opportunity to publish measured values ​​or other information about companies and products. The Union parties pointed out that the law would not make sense without a simultaneous obligation on companies from the European Union , on the contrary , it would lead to competitive disadvantages for German providers. The proposed law failed in the Federal Council and was implemented in a modified form by the subsequent grand coalition.

Results of this policy

The question of whether an agricultural turnaround is currently taking place cannot be answered easily. There are, however, a number of indicators that help to assess current developments. (The following list gives only an insight and is not complete):

  • The expansion to 20% targeted at the agricultural turnaround from red-green was not achieved. In 2001 3.7% of the acreage was farmed organically, in 2012 it was 6.2%. In 2001, 14,702 farms produced according to ecological certification, in 2012 it was 22,932.
  • The German agricultural exports (goods of the agricultural and food industry) were in 2012 a total of 60.1 billion euros.
  • Germany's degree of self-sufficiency in meat rose continuously from 94% in 2001 to 113% in 2010. This means that Germany has become a net exporter of meat. In 2010, 2.4 million tons of meat were imported and 3.7 million tons of meat were exported.
  • In 2008 there were still 321,600 farms in Germany. By 2011 the number of farms had dropped to 300,700. That is 6.5% less. The area cultivated per farm increased from 52 to 56 hectares. Large farms with more than 100 hectares make up more than half.
  • The consumer was and is a key factor in agricultural policy. A cultural change is taking place in parts of society. Consumption decisions are increasingly becoming a question of morality - sustainability and demands on quality are becoming more important in the eyes of some people.
  • Other important indicators are developments in the area of biodiversity , subsidies (keyword: Common Agricultural Policy ), soils and others.

Red-green state government in Lower Saxony (from 2013)

A "gentle agricultural turnaround" is part of Lower Saxony state policy under the red-green state government. At the request of the CDU, the Lower Saxony Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection defined the term in a small request to the state government as follows:

"" With the term 'gentle agricultural turnaround' I try to make it clear that my aim is to steer Lower Saxony's agriculture primarily through incentives and to develop it in a more consumer-friendly and environmentally friendly direction. I know that there is a great deal of interest on the part of agriculture in gaining greater acceptance in society, and I want to set the right course here. The vast majority of farms will be able to go along with the agricultural turnaround and ultimately benefit from it. Those forms of agriculture that have to change because of their dimensions, their environmental problems or their animal husbandry conditions are barely accepted by society. ""

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Use of the term agricultural transition by organizations and alliances

The members of the AgrarBündnis e. V. demand a turnaround in the agricultural sector with the annual publication “Critical Agricultural Report”.

In Berlin-Brandenburg the “Action Alliance for Agricultural Turnaround Berlin-Brandenburg” was founded as an amalgamation of ecological cultivation associations, animal welfare, nature and environmental protection associations and citizens' initiatives against factory farming. The initiative advocates the preservation and promotion of rural areas, small-scale agriculture and healthy food.

The BUND and the Heinrich Böll Foundation are calling for a "U-turn in agricultural policy" and thus combining the cancellation of subsidies for intensive meat production, preventing land grabbing in the south, promoting small-scale agriculture and calling for the human right to food at last taken seriously.

The term agricultural turnaround is not clearly defined in terms of content, but some central demands of the associations and organizations are associated with it:

Since 2011 demonstrations have been taking place in Berlin and other places under the motto We're fed up! against factory farming and for an agricultural turnaround.

In Oldenburger Münsterland , a region known for factory farming that “wants to get rid of its dirty image”, there have recently been voices close to the economy who are in favor of an “agricultural turnaround”. The study explicitly recommends an “agricultural turnaround” to the “Verbund Oldenburger Münsterland” as the client of a “awareness, image and brand study for the Oldenburger Münsterland”.

literature

  • Heinz-Jörg Wiegand: The agricultural and energy transition - balance sheet and history of red-green projects, dissertation 2006, ISBN 3-631-55713-2
  • Matthias Groß , Harald Heinrichs (Ed.): Environmental Sociology. European Perspectives and Interdisciplinary Challenges , Springer, 2010, ISBN 978-90-481-8729-4 (especially p. 225f .: How to promote Organic Food Consumption: The Case of German 'Agrarwende )
  • Brand, Karl-Werner (Ed.), The new dynamic of the organic market. Consequences of the agricultural turnaround in the areas of agriculture, processing, trade, consumption and nutrition communication. Result volume 1, volume 4 (of the SÖF book series), oekom Verlag Munich 2006, ISBN 3-86581-039-X
  • Brand, Karl-Werner (Ed.), From the agricultural turnaround to the consumption turnaround? The chain perspective. Result volume 2, volume 5 (of the SÖF book series), oekom Verlag Munich 2006, ISBN 3-86581-040-3
  • Peter H. Feindt and Christiane Ratschow: “Agricultural turnaround”. Program, measures and institutional framework , BIOGUM, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg 2003, ISBN 3-937792-10-4
  • Patrick Schwan: The informed consumer ?: The consumer policy model put to the test. An investigation using the example of the food sector (German Edition) , VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften; Edition: 2009, ISBN 978-3-531-16400-7

Individual evidence

  1. Cordula Kropp and Jost Wagner, »Agrarwende«: On the institutional handling of the problems that follow from reflection in the agricultural sector, 2005
  2. ^ Georg W. Oesterdiekhoff, Social Structure and Social Change. Collected essays , Hamburg 2006, p. 80.
  3. Rolf Peter Sieferle , Perspektiven einer Historical Umweltforschung , in: Ders. (Ed.) Advances in Destruction of Nature, Frankfurt am Main 1988, 307-368, p. 329.
  4. Cf. Georg W. Oesterdiekhoff, Social Structure and Social Change. Collected essays , Hamburg 2006, pp. 80f.
  5. Volkert Engelsman: Low food prices - Economist: "Enormous follow-up costs" through conventional production . In: deutschlandfunk.de , February 4, 2020, accessed on February 5, 2020.
  6. Almost every broiler chicken is given antibiotics . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , November 16, 2011. Accessed December 14, 2013.
  7. Achim Spiller and a .: The “Agricultural Turnaround” - Restructuring of a Policy Field, BMBF Research Report “From the Agricultural Turnaround to the Consumption Turnaround?”, Discussion Paper No. 10, September 2005, p. 12
  8. agricultural investment funding program (AFP) on l-bank.de ( Memento December 31, 2013 Internet Archive )
  9. Heinz-Jörg Wiegand: The agricultural and energy transition, pp. 137–141
  10. Julia Kimmerle: Import flood: German eggs, urgently wanted, Spon
  11. ^ Karl-Werner Brand: The benefit of practical theoretical perspectives: Case study Agrarwende , in: Matthias Groß (Ed.): Handbuch Umweltsoziologie , VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften 2011, ISBN 978-3-531-17429-7 , p. 191
  12. Roose, Jochen: Lobbying for the "good cause" - environmental interests and the power of NGOs. In: Leif, Thomas / Speth, Rudolph (eds.): Die Stille Macht - Lobbyismus in Deutschland, Opladen: Westdeutscher Verlag, 2003, pp. 238-252
  13. Gerlach, Kropp, Spiller, Ulmer, Die Agrarwende - Restructuring of a Policy Field, Die Agrarwende - Restructuring of a Policy Field, University of Göttingen, September 2005
  14. The "Law on the Establishment of a Central Fund to Promote Sales in the German Agriculture and Food Industry" was in effect until May 30, 2011
  15. ^ 1989 coalition agreement
  16. ^ Peasants contradict the future coalition; in: FAZ of October 14, 1998, p. 20
  17. ^ Criticism of "Pact of the Half-Hearted"; in: FAZ of October 20, 1989, p. 4
  18. Peter H. Feindt and Christiane Ratschow, "Agrarwende": Program, measures and institutional framework, BIOGUM, University of Hamburg, October 2003. Accessed on July 3, 2019 .
  19. Edgar Wolfrum: Red-Green in Power. Germany 1998-2005. Munich 2013, ISBN 978-3-406-65437-4
  20. Die Zeit, the magical hexagon of the agricultural turnaround
  21. Heinz-Jörg Wiegand: The agricultural and energy transition, pp. 277–278
  22. Agrarian turnaround leads through a "deep valley"; in: FAZ of June 22, 2001, p. 4
  23. Top agrar , edition 12/2001, pages 26–30.
  24. "Out for the old guard"; in: TAZ of November 22, 2001, p. 8
  25. ^ "Künast Advisory Board resigns as a whole"; in: FAZ of November 22, 2001, p. 15
  26. ^ Heinz-Jörg Wiegand: Die Agrar- und Energiewende, pp. 251-252
  27. Heinz-Jörg Wiegand: The agricultural and energy transition, p. 252
  28. "Personal haggling in the Künast house"; in: NWZ-Online from April 29, 2005, online
  29. TAB discussion paper No. 010. Berlin 2002
  30. Heinz-Jörg Wiegand: The agricultural and energy transition, pp. 253-256
  31. Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Organizations and Areas of Organic Agriculture in Germany (1994 to 2012) ( Memento from December 11, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  32. Answer of the Federal Government to the small question "Export and import of animal products and feed", January 17, 2012, p. 8/9 (PDF; 329 kB)
  33. ^ Rheinische Post, Fewer and Fewer Farms in Germany, May 7, 2011
  34. Uwe Spiekermann, abstract of the conference on the agricultural turnaround - balance sheet and perspectives in July 2013: The consumer as a placeholder for political, economic and scientific interests: agricultural turnaround (s) in the 20th century, German Historical Institute Washington ( Memento des Originals from August 15, 2014 in Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.agev.net
  35. Deutschlandfunk, Agrarian Turnaround for Lower Saxony - How the Green Agriculture Minister wants to change the state, May 29, 2013
  36. Lower Saxony coalition agreement 2013–2018 between SPD and Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen (the expression "agricultural turnaround" is mentioned twice)
  37. Hannoversche Allgemeine: Agrarwende: Weil is ready for dialogue , November 15, 2013
  38. Lower Saxony State Parliament - 17th electoral period, answers to oral questions in accordance with Section 47 of the Rules of Procedure of the Lower Saxony State Parliament - Drs. 17/170 , page 23
  39. top agrar Greener and fairer: Critical agricultural report calls for agricultural turnaround , January 18, 2013
  40. Critical Agricultural Report 2013
  41. Berliner Zeitung: Action alliance for the agricultural transition Berlin-Brandenburg founded , November 9, 2013
  42. Heinrich Böll Foundation, “Meat Atlas” shows the global effects of increasing meat consumption. Heinrich Böll Foundation and BUND call for a U-turn in agricultural policy , January 10, 2013
  43. http://www.bund-naturschutz.de/fileadmin/download/landwirtschaft/Plattform-Papier-2013-08-Umsetzung-EU-Agrarreform-in-DE.pdf Genealogie {Dead Link | url = http: // www .bund-naturschutz.de / fileadmin / download / agriculture / platform-paper-2013-08-implementation-EU-agricultural reform-in-DE.pdf | date = 2018-08 | archivebot = 2018-08-22 11:20: 09 InternetArchiveBot}} (link not available)
  44. Oldenburger Münsterland wants to get rid of its dirty image . Focus Online . January 26, 2015
  45. Oldenburger Münsterland fights for its reputation . The world . January 29, 2015
  46. Torsten H. Kirstges: Project report: Awareness, image and brand study for the Oldenburger Münsterland November 2014. p. 219