Farmers draw attention to their problems before election day

Agriculture hardly a topic in the parliamentary election campaign

Agriculture was hardly a topic in the parliamentary election campaign, said LSV spokesperson Robert Erdmann. Yet there are still urgent problems to solve.

The new federal government must implement the national application of Article 148 of the Common Market Organization in Europe as quickly as possible. This article regulates the relationship between dairy farmers and dairies. Until now, farmers have not known how much money they will receive when they deliver their raw milk. In future, written contracts with a price framework are to be drawn up. The process has been initiated, but has not yet been completed.

The farmers are also advocating a change to the fertilizer ordinance. So-called frost fertilization must be permitted, said Kranen. Fertilizers containing phosphate and nitrogen may currently only be applied to frost-free soil. This is to prevent them from being washed away. For farmers, however, this means one big "mud fight", said Kranen.