Agriculture Minister Gorißen is fighting for less bureaucracy in NRW!

Agriculture Minister Gorißen is fighting for less bureaucracy in NRW!

The Autumn Agriculture Ministers' Conference (AMK) in Heidelberg caused a stir last week. Agriculture Minister Silke Gorißen has vehemently campaigned for better conditions for agricultural businesses in North Rhine-Westphalia. Their main demands cover a wide spectrum: from a reduction in bureaucracy to securing financial support for the restructuring of animal husbandry. Loud country.nrw The expiry of the federal program to promote the restructuring of agricultural animal husbandry is also a central issue.

One of Gorißen's important concerns is to offer companies more reliability and planning security. This includes the requirement for 20-year protection for new stables and conversions as well as an adapted Federal Immission Control Act. These measures are intended to help make livestock farming sustainable. In North Rhine-Westphalia, livestock farming makes a significant contribution to the production value of agriculture with over five billion euros, but the challenges are enormous. A decline in stocks can be observed, and many companies are faced with bureaucratic hurdles that hinder their further development. A uniform framework for new stable construction and transparent regulatory criteria for animal husbandry labels are essential to promote animal welfare.

Federal political discussions and financial support

At the same time, measures are being discussed at the federal level that are intended to help agriculture overcome the challenges of today. This week the Bundestag is debating a motion from the SPD, Greens and FDP that deals with the future of agriculture. The focus is on reducing bureaucracy and developing eco-schemes, which should be designed more accurately in the future. Loud bundestag.de The federal government plans to implement the first important measures in 2026.

A crucial aspect is the federal government's financial support, which is available at around one billion euros for the next four years. This is intended to help farmers restructure animal husbandry. But not everyone is convinced: Critics, such as Klaus Wagner from the Thuringian Farmers' Association, doubt that the funds provided are sufficient to cover the annual financial requirement of four billion euros determined by the Borchert Commission. As the managing director of Geratal Agrar GmbH, Bert Kämmerer, emphasizes, a cozy atmosphere in the pigsty is not only beneficial - it often becomes a challenge due to bureaucratic requirements.

The voice of producers and protest actions

The mood among farmers remains tense. While the AMK met, farmers from various federal states planned protests to draw attention to their concerns. In Erfurt, protest camps should be set up in front of the conference hotel for the ministerial group. This unrest reflects the deep frustration that arises from the complexity of bureaucratic requirements. The Ringleben company in Thuringia illustrates this impressively: selling an animal takes up to 90 minutes - with numerous entries in various databases. In view of such hurdles, the industry is not only demanding digitalization of processes, but also a fundamental reform of the bureaucracy. The approach could be a template for federal states such as North Rhine-Westphalia, which face similar challenges.

The AMK has sent an important signal with its discussions, but it now remains to be seen how quickly and effectively concrete measures can be implemented to make agriculture in Germany sustainable. The voices of farmers are clear: a simplification of processes and a strong commitment to animal husbandry are required. The coming months will be crucial.