Action Green Crosses

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Green wooden cross on a field, 2019

The Green Crosses campaign is a protest action by German farmers that was launched by the farmer and manager Willi Kremer-Schillings from Rommerskirchen in 2019.

background

Farmers call on their colleagues to set up wooden crosses painted green on their own agricultural land at roadsides and roadsides . In this way, fields and fields can be used as advertising space for the interests of farmers and for silent protest. In October 2019, the number of green crosses erected across Germany was estimated at 10,000. By setting up the green crosses, farmers are protesting against new regulations from politics and administration and for more respect from society for their work. The crosses are intended to represent a warning sign to politics and society and to encourage consumers to think. The background is the so-called agricultural package from Federal Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner (CDU) and Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) from September 2019, which caused the protest to attract media attention. The discussion is also sparked by the referendum “Biodiversity & Natural Beauty in Bavaria” and the referendum on species protection - “Save the bees” in Baden-Württemberg .

Farmers criticize the agri-environmental package of 2019, according to which the previous direct payments to farmers are to be reallocated, which results in financial losses for many of those affected. Furthermore, the use of glyphosate-containing pesticides is to be further reduced and completely banned by 2024, and the use of fertilizers limited.

history

Protest by farmers on November 26, 2019 in Berlin
  • September 7, 2019: First blog entry by the farmer and manager Willi Kremer-Schillings as an idea start-up
  • September 12, 2019: Some associations of the German Farmers' Association , such as the Bavarian Farmers Association, support the campaign. The Schleswig-Holstein farmers' association presented the “Green Crosses” in two Facebook posts, but also announced: “We will not be promoting the campaign any further and would have chosen a different symbolism”.
  • At the end of September 2019, the Baden-Württemberg petition Save the Bees will pick up speed. The Baden-Württemberg farmers use the idea of ​​the Green Cross for themselves
  • October 15, 2019: The state government of Baden-Württemberg, the representatives of the state farmers' associations and the petitioners of Petion Save the Bees agree on a compromise
  • November 26, 2019: Several thousand farmers demonstrated with their tractors in the center of Berlin against the federal government's agricultural policy.

criticism

The agricultural master and member of the Bundestag of the Greens Friedrich Ostendorff says: "The farmers could also do themselves a disservice with the action ... Society expects agriculture to provide solutions for water protection , for species protection and animal welfare and to block solutions that are not urgently needed."

Willi Kremer-Schillings, who provided the idea, has been criticized for appearing as " Farmer Willi " but for having been closely linked to the chemical industry before his retirement . Kremer-Schillings does not provide any personal information about himself on his blog, but does refer to public, critical as well as uncritical press articles about him.

There is also criticism from agriculture itself: The deputy state chairman of the Working Group on Farming Agriculture (AbL) in Bavaria, Hans Zacherl, says: “The cross is a Christian symbol for faith and redemption. We find it problematic if you use it to attract attention ”.

Web links

Commons : Aktion Grünes Kreuze  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Silent protest in the fields at tagesschau.de from October 1, 2019
  2. ↑ agricultural package: Contents and reactions in weekly for agriculture and rural life from October 12, 2019
  3. ^ Protest with Green Crosses in the Stuttgarter Zeitung on October 13, 2019
  4. ^ Cabinet adopts controversial agri-environmental package at agrarheute.com, accessed on May 21, 2020.
  5. ^ Initialization of the idea of ​​silent protest on www.bauerwilli.com
  6. ↑ Green Crosses: Movement is picking up speed in agrarheute from September 12, 2019
  7. ↑ "Green Crosses": CDU supports action and calls referendum "not thought through" at schwäbische.de from September 22, 2019
  8. ↑ Bee friends bury a referendum: Agreement on a compromise in species protection at SWR.de on October 15, 2019
  9. ↑ Tractor chaos in Berlin: Farmer's demo brings 20-kilometer convoys - Ice-cold reception for Klöckner , merkur.de on November 26, 2019, accessed on November 26, 2019
  10. ↑ What is hidden behind the green crosses on Germany's fields in Tagesspiegel from October 13, 2019
  11. ↑ Sugar Beet Journal, Issue No. 03/2014, p. 23, Dr. Kremer-Schillings retired . In: rl-verlag.de , accessed on October 21, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Bauer Willi" turns out to be "Chemie Willi" in the daily newspaper of October 9, 2019
  13. ↑ Personal details at www.bauerwilli.com
  14. ↑ Green Crusade in Süddeutsche Zeitung of January 22, 2020