Cloppenburg District People's Association honors long-time local chairmen!

Cloppenburg District People's Association honors long-time local chairmen!

Long-time local chairmen were recently honored at a remarkable delegate meeting of the Cloppenburg District People's Association. Chairman Hubertus Berges warmly thanked the members for their dedicated work. The focus was particularly on honoring Gregor Gerwin, who served as local chairman of the Cappeln Local People's Association for over 18 years. Burghard Buschenhenke was also honored for his eleven years as local chairman of the Schwichteler Association. The two offices ended due to the merger of the local rural people's associations Cappeln, Elsten-Warnstedt, Schwichteler and Sevelten.

During the meeting, Thomas König was celebrated for 20 years as local chairman of the Friesoythe Local People's Association, and Andreas Borchers' award for his achievements in the Elsten-Warnstedt Local People's Association was also discussed, although he was not personally present. Managing director Bernd Suilmann took the opportunity to shed light on current topics in agriculture in the Cloppenburg district.

Agriculture in focus

The importance of agriculture is undisputed: around 30 percent of jobs in the Cloppenburg district are directly related to agriculture and its downstream industries. Suilmann made it clear what challenges the industry has to overcome. It is therefore essential to create reasonable framework conditions so that animal husbandry remains sustainable. He pointed out the need for adjustments to building law.

Another key issue was biosecurity, particularly in relation to African swine fever. Suilmann appealed to those present to take measures to prevent wild boars from accessing leftover food. He also emphasized that in the event of an outbreak, marketing options for meat from healthy animals from restriction zones would be necessary. The topic of the state fertilizer ordinance is also under discussion and Suilmann called for practical regulations since the current ordinance was overturned by the Federal Administrative Court.

An association with history

The Cloppenburg District People's Association has a long history that goes back to after the Second World War, when the association was founded to reorganize agricultural structures. In the 1950s and 1960s, the association supported companies in a rapidly changing environment. Well-known services, including accounting and tax advice, have been provided since the 1970s to help members with the challenges of everyday agricultural life.

The founding of the AWL tax consulting company in the 1980s as well as other consulting services demonstrate the association's constant growth and adaptability. The association is also involved in image work for modern agriculture through the “Your Farmers – Really Green” campaign, which aims to strengthen understanding of agriculture and develop a positive image.

International networking

Another exciting aspect of the agricultural future was recently addressed by Federal Minister Cem Özdemir. During his visit to Africa, he opened the Agricultural Policy Dialogue (APD) project office in Addis Ababa. This initiative is intended to help find solutions to global challenges such as hunger and climate change and to promote the exchange of knowledge and experiences between Germany and the member states of the African Union. The exchange particularly emphasized the strengthening of women and young people in agriculture.

These international efforts, combined with the local challenges that the Cloppenburg District People's Association faces, clearly show that agriculture is facing major tasks that can only be mastered with a strong network and a committed community.