Green week starts: Star attraction only experienced on the screen!

Green week starts: Star attraction only experienced on the screen!

The Green Week opens at Messe Berlin on Friday. Exhibitors from 60 countries present culinary highlights, innovations and trends. B.Z. reports that 1,500 exhibitors are represented in the exhibition halls, which corresponds to 100 more than in the previous year, but less than before pandemic.

The atmosphere at the fair is characterized by sad news this year. The animal hall (Hall 25) remains ghostly empty, since 42 cattle are not allowed to participate due to a case of mouth and claw disease (MKS) in Brandenburg. Joachim Rukwied, President of the German Farmers' Association, expresses in a conversation: "The disease has to be removed as soon as possible." Even sheep and goats may not be presented due to the regulations. Martin Seidl from the cattle friends Germany admits that the news was like a shock for him: "I got the news on Friday. It feels like it is in the wrong film."

mouth and claw disease as the central topic

The mouth and claw disease is extremely contagious and can end up fat for cattle. The current case has been the first in Germany since 1988 and has greatly overshadowed the agricultural fair in Berlin. According to an assessment of the epidemiologist Carola Sauter-Louis, an emergency vaccination is not a practical solution, since many third countries would not accept the vaccines. This would lead to trade restrictions that could cause significant damage to agriculture. For the organizers, including the German Farmers' Association, the outbreak came to the wrong time.

flower hall as a highlight

Another highlight of the exhibition is the flower hall (Hall 2.2a), which is under the motto "Flower Kiez". Here, 30,000 colorful flowers bloom on 3000 square meters, including tulips, Christian roses, azaleas and hydrangeas, which are exemplary for the Flora of Berlin. Bettina Loose, the landscape architect of the flower hall, describes this with humor: "The way it is in Berlin." In addition, the hall is crossed by a 100-meter-long mini-spree, and visitors can expect street art art and a "flower beat" disco.

The Green Week is open to international visitors from Friday to Sunday. The ticket prices are moderate: from Monday to Saturday they cost 16 euros, Sundays 13 euros. The shifted animal highlight is replaced by creative alternatives, but the uncertainty due to the MKS is omnipresent and leaves a shadow over the traditional agricultural fair.

The agricultural industry is also faced with further challenges. Many actors are dissatisfied with the current agricultural policy under the outgoing traffic light government. In particular, the ignorance of the recommendations of the Borchert Commission and Future Commission Agriculture ensures frustration. Martin Schulz, Federal Chairman of the Working Group on Peasant Agriculture, criticizes the lack of implementation of the suggestions that were intended for an urgently required agricultural turn.

With a view to the upcoming federal government, he demands clear planning security for the industry: "The companies are dependent on a long -term perspective, especially if they invest in new systems." This year it will not take part in the Green Week, since the protective units were not planned due to the epidemics.

The B.Z. And the Stuttgarter Nachrichten shed light on the numerous facets of the Green Week and their current challenges, while the anticipation for culinary discoveries and agricultural innovations still remains. In the middle of these difficult circumstances it can be seen that social dialogue about agricultural policy is urgently necessary.

For more information on this topic, note the reporting on B.Z. and Stuttgarter Nachrichten .