Agriculture in the Oldenburger Münsterland

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The agriculture continues to characterize Oldenburger Münsterland . It has the highest density of poultry , pork and beef farms ( factory farming ) in the Federal Republic of Germany (so-called " swine belt ").

Stables at Hemmelte

Requirements for intensive animal husbandry

Fertilization with liquid manure at Kamperfehn

Large-scale animal breeding could only be carried out in the Oldenburg Münsterland (southern Oldenburg) since additional animal feed was imported from abroad via the North Sea ports , as the yield potential of the existing soils is insufficient and the soil quality has to be classified mainly as poor to inferior. For this reason, maize is primarily grown in South Oldenburg , which does not place high demands on the quality of the soil and, as a further advantage, needs to be sown late (in May) so that the soil can be fertilized with liquid manure shortly beforehand . Maize is insensitive to possible over-fertilization (the liquid manure from intensive animal production contains a lot of nitrogen and phosphate). Only on the better soils and the growing is feed barley possible.

Due to the change in consumer eating habits, animal production in South Oldenburg has also been adapted to demand: While the pig population has only increased slowly over the past 50 years to 1 million animals each in the two districts of Vechta and Cloppenburg and has thus been adapted to the increasing demand, Chicken breeding experienced a boom, especially in the Vechta district : from 1960 to 1980 the number of chickens on the farms there increased thirteenfold. After a slump in the mid-1980s, the chicken population has continued to rise. This development was only possible through the consolidation of businesses and the transition to large-scale agro-industrial structures. A far-reaching transformation of the local meat industry has been observed in the region since the 1990s. Smaller slaughterhouses were bought up by corporations such as Wiesenhof / PHW , Westfleisch or Danish Crown and converted into large factories with assembly lines and automated packaging. In 2010 there were almost 800 pig fattening farms in the Vechta district alone, where 1.06 million animals were kept.

Companies in agrobusiness

The following table shows companies from the Oldenburger Münsterland that are related to agriculture.

Companies Branch Company headquarters Number of
employees 		description
EW Group food industry Visbek 4,800 Poultry and mushroom growers
PHW group food industry Visbek 4,240 Largest German poultry breeder and processor; one of the largest companies in the German food industry
Wernsing delicatessen food industry Addrup 2,600 One of the largest producers of delicatessen products, especially potatoes
Big Dutchman Agricultural trade Calveslage 1,800 Worldwide market leader in the development and sale of feeding systems and housing equipment for keeping poultry and pigs
Heidemark food industry Garrel 1,400 One of the largest German producers and marketers of poultry products
Grim Agricultural machinery Dams 1,200 World market leader in potato harvesting technology ( potato harvesters )
D&S meat slaughterhouse Essen / Oldenburg 500 one of the largest German mail order slaughterhouses, 3.5 million slaughterings / year; in 2010 by Danish Crown acquired
Austing compound feed plant Feed Damme-Oldorf 40 Manufacturer of animal feed
Bröring group of companies Feed Dinklage 490 Manufacturer of animal feed
Vogelsang Slurry technology Essen / Oldenburg 360 Slurry technology and rotary lobe pumps with a worldwide network
Envitec biogas Biogas Rewards 212 Manufacturer of biogas plants
Fleming + Wendeln Land trade Garrel 120
Schne-frost Ernst Schnetkamp GmbH & Co KG food industry Loeningen 400 Frozen potato products and frozen vegetarian vegetable specialties
Thamann & Leiber (Tafu) Land trade Neuenkirchen-Vörden 55 Manufacturers of animal feed and pig dealers
Bela-Pharm Drug factory Vechta 142 Manufacturer of veterinary pharmaceuticals

Consequences of the high animal density

South Oldenburg landscape: Harvested maize field in front of a new deep-freeze warehouse on the Krimpenforter Berg

Due to the high number of animals in the double-digit million range, there are also above-average amounts of faeces. With "normal" extensive livestock farming, this liquid manure could be applied to the fields as additional fertilizer without any problems . Minus the nutrients carried out of the cycle through the sale of animal products, one would have an almost closed nutrient cycle. But since feed is bought in for intensive farming, too much nutrients are introduced into the cycle. In 1995, for example, around 6,000 tonnes of nitrogen and phosphate were produced in the Vechta district , which could not be sensibly recycled. Therefore, this surplus is now transported with "slurry taxis" to the neighboring areas, where the livestock density is significantly lower, and serves there as cheap fertilizer in the fields.

In areas with a high density of livestock, large amounts of antibiotics are used to prevent and combat infectious diseases , which generate resistance in pathogens that (can) infect animals and, in some cases, meat eaters. Of the animal antibiotics used nationwide, around 40 percent were used in Lower Saxony in 2014. According to the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety, the Oldenburger Münsterland is one of the front runners in the issue of animal antibiotics.

Image problems

Banned across Europe since 2012: Laying batteries for chickens (photo from 2004)

In January 2015 “ Focus Online ” drew the following conclusion: “As much prosperity as intensive animal husbandry with huge animal populations has brought the region - the region suffers from a bad reputation. Recurring reports of animal cruelty in the stables, the exploitation of foreign workers in the slaughterhouses or environmental pollution caused by agriculture contribute to this. A report broadcast 31 years ago by Radio Bremen about the southern Oldenburg region is still present to the citizens today: The film “ And forever stink the fields ”, which was awarded a Grimm Prize, left its mark on the region as the manure center in Germany. ”Other media reported on the poor conditions of temporary workers in the meat industry.

There are also such sights in the Oldenburger Münsterland: Spring in Langwege

In their study on the image of the Oldenburger Münsterland, the editors state that the term “Oldenburger Münsterland” is strongly associated with factory farming when the respondents in question have already been there. Above all, respondents with a vocational qualification and / or a university degree perceive them critically. Even those who, as tourists, knew (or thought they knew) the Oldenburger Münsterland were informed about them. Among the locals, it was mainly those people who were bothered by intensive animal husbandry who felt less connected to the region and were more willing to migrate. This perception also influences the desire to (not) want to live here among foreigners.

The authors of the image study predict that the media and ultimately social pressure to make fundamental changes to meat production will increase even more in the coming years. In the medium and long term, the Oldenburger Münsterland region will have to face the following challenges:

  • Elsewhere, the agricultural economy will grow (easier, faster) than in the Oldenburger Münsterland, namely through increasing competition from suppliers who can produce even more cheaply.
  • The conflict of goals between the agricultural industry and the "tourism industry" in the region will increase.
  • The "social values" are changing. “Organic” products are in demand. Animal welfare and a transparent food production process are required. At the same time, broad sections of the population (with a high level of education and higher income) are more willing to pay.
  • Increasingly, broad sections of the population perceive and criticize non-species-appropriate animal husbandry, cropping and castration processes, the use of antibiotics and, as a result, antibiotic-resistant pathogens (e.g. MRSA bacteria), the nitrate pollution of soil and groundwater, "bad" (for the animals painful) slaughter procedures etc.

As a result of several demography workshops, the district of Vechta considers it necessary that there is a " welcoming culture " in its area . In the opinion of the district, this in turn requires a positive image. This is what a working paper reads “Future 2030 Vechta District. Central points of the demography process "the target definition under the heading" welcome culture "succinctly:" The district and the cities and municipalities have a positive image. "The background of the workshops and the effort to create a positive image is the concern that" push factors "(In the context of this article: factory farming) could drive people out of the district or keep them away from it and that" pull factors "are not sufficiently known to potential workers.

To be seen more and more often: Sunflowers at the edge of the field in front of a "corn wall"

In addition, a positive image is important for efforts to attract tourists to the region, which may still remember the "counter-advertising" of 1984 by Radio Bremen sent and the Adolf Grimme Award winning television report and forever stink fields remember.

"Roadmap" of the Agricultural and Nutrition Forum Oldenburger Münsterland

Slurry tank next to a stable in Ahrensdorf

In 2006 an association "Agricultural and Nutrition Forum Oldenburger Münsterland (aef)" was founded with its headquarters in Vechta. The former Lower Saxony Minister of Agriculture, Uwe Bartels , has been the chairman since October 2012 . The aef focuses on the main topics:

  • Animal welfare / animal husbandry
  • Animal health (antibiotic minimization)
  • Work contract situation in the Oldenburger Münsterland
  • Promotion of intelligent growth in the Oldenburger Münsterland economic area through innovation and science
  • Nutrient problem in the Oldenburger Münsterland (project sponsorship "Bioenergy Region Südoldenburg")

The forum summarizes its goals on the subject of animal welfare in a "roadmap":

The Agricultural and Nutrition Forum Oldenburger Münsterland and the companies in the food industry that are grouped under its roof declare that they want to organize their animal husbandry in such a way that they meet animal welfare requirements and the ethical demands of society on livestock husbandry. The subject of "animal welfare" should be approached for the entire value chain in an affordable and sustainable strategic approach in such a way that livestock husbandry is measurably improved on the basis of scientific findings and husbandry conditions that have been tested in practice and is brought into harmony with social expectations in an economically compatible manner. That is why the animal welfare plan of the state of Lower Saxony is part of the aef roadmap. The forum is open to further improvements in animal welfare that go beyond the animal welfare plan, provided that science has justified the need based on reliable findings, an impact assessment has taken place and any additional costs that may arise are absorbed by the market or by state funding .

The aef's position paper is expressly rated positively by the state government of Lower Saxony.

literature

  • Hans Wilhelm Windthorst: A region is in danger of losing its reputation . In: Yearbook for the Oldenburger Münsterland 1985 . Vechta 1984, pp. 169-184
  • Josef H. Reichholf: The dance around the golden calf - The ecocolonialism of Europe Wagenbach Berlin 2004/2006 ISBN 3-8031-2532-4
  • Johannes Wilking and Manfred Kayser: Biogas production in the Oldenburger Münsterland - developments and perspectives . In: Yearbook for the Oldenburger Münsterland 2011 . Vechta 2010, pp. 196-219
  • Werner Klohn: Land use change and maize cultivation in the Oldenburger Münsterland . In: Yearbook for the Oldenburger Münsterland 2012 . Vechta 2011. pp. 217-232

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Mathias Fiedler, Lee Hielscher: From the cycles of the "pig system". The meat industry in the Oldenburger Münsterland as a regime of mobility and exploitation . In: movements. Journal for critical migration and border regime research . tape 3 , no. 1 , April 11, 2017 ( movements-journal.org [accessed April 14, 2017]).
  2. ↑ Less use of antibiotics in the stable. Database aims to help farmers . Weser courier . 17th September 2014
  3. ↑ Oldenburger Münsterland wants to get rid of its dirty image . Focus Online . January 26, 2015
  4. ^ "Disposable people": Shocking lecture about temporary workers in the meat industry. January 17, 2020, accessed January 22, 2020 .
  5. ^ Mathias Fiedler, Lee Hielscher: From the cycles of the ›pig system‹. The meat industry in the Oldenburger Münsterland as a regime of mobility and exploitation . In: movements. Journal for Critical Migration and Border Regime Studies . tape 3 , no. 1 , April 11, 2017 ( movements-journal.org [accessed January 22, 2020]).
  6. ↑ Torsten H. Kirstges: Project report: Awareness, image and brand study for the Oldenburger Münsterland November 2014. p. 44
  7. ↑ Torsten H. Kirstges: Project report: Awareness, image and brand study for the Oldenburger Münsterland, November 2014. P. 214
  8. ↑ Torsten H. Kirstges: Project report: Awareness, image and brand study for the Oldenburger Münsterland November 2014. p. 219
  9. ↑ Vechta district: Future 2030 Vechta district. Central points of the demography process . October 16, 2014
  10. ↑ Vechta and Cloppenburg want to get rid of their dirty image . Kreiszeitung , January 27, 2015
  11. ↑ Use all raw materials energetically ( memento of the original from April 2, 2015 in the 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. . German agricultural publisher . December 4, 2008 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / landundforst.agrarheute.com
  12. ↑ Christoph Floren: Bartels relies on the external presentation of the industry. General meeting at the agricultural and nutrition forum "OM" . Northwest Newspaper . October 10, 2012
  13. ↑ aef: tasks and achievements
  14. ↑ aef: Taking ethical responsibility - making livestock husbandry sustainable . November 13, 2014. p. 9
  15. ^ Lower Saxony Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection: State welcomes position paper from the Agricultural and Nutrition Forum Oldenburger Münsterland