the disappointment of German farmers after the strong mobilization of the winter

Farmers’ protests began in Germany this winter before spreading to other European countries. But the mobilization does not seem to have changed things for farmers.

In Germany, the German agricultural world was the first to rise up in the heart of last winter, before the protest spread to other European countries, including Italy, Poland and France. All over the country, demonstrations – on an unprecedented scale for the agricultural world – were organized. Operators, worried about their income, denounced international competition sometimes considered unfair and administrative burdens. But according to those concerned, the mobilization does not seem to have borne fruit.

Saxony, in the far east of the country and a few kilometers from Poland and the Czech Republic, is one of the regions where the mobilization was strongest, in the heart of winter. Hundreds of tractors blocked roundabouts, motorway interchanges and the city centers of Dresden, Leipzig and Chemnitz. Five months later, calm has obviously returned. Wolfgang Vogel, who grows barley, wheat and rapeseed, prepares for the harvest with great bitterness. “Apart from promises, we got nothing. We are disappointed, confides the farmer. The worst thing is that we have a Minister of Agriculture who has no idea what agriculture is. I think we’ll go back to protest soon.”

In Bennewitz, 200 km from Berlin, the boots hung in protest on the village entrance signs have been removed, but Alexander Otto, who produces cereals and milk, is still angry because the farmers did not obtained the maintenance of subsidies on agricultural diesel. The boost will disappear in 2026 and Alexander Otto has done his calculations. “We have 25 tractors, four combine harvesters. For our company, it’s 100 000 euros of state aid which will disappear every year, that’s a lot of money for us”he laments.

It would have been necessary to install a new milking parlor, to replace the one dating from the GDR era, but Alexander Otto had to resign himself to postponing the project due to lack of funds. The young 34-year-old boss, who employs 45 people, is also annoyed by German regulations (often more demanding than in the rest of the European Union…)

“Germany always adds a layer to what is already imposed by the European Union,” he laments. He cites France where “farmers use fuel oil for their tractors, and we in Germany have to use normal diesel, subject to all taxes.” In Spain, “the minimum hourly wage is 7 euros, in Germany it’s 12 euros 41, it makes a big difference!, he says. But I, for the same work, do not receive more than other European farmers, even though I have more expenses. And so in the end, I make less profit.”

It would be nice if the regulations in Germany were less severe, as is the case in other countries.

Alexander Otto, farmer

at franceinfo

The farmer denounces a distortion of competition, further aggravated by the heavy and famous German bureaucracy, which the government has promised to tackle, but for the moment, without notable effect.

German farmers clearly speak of the failure of their protest movement, despite the scale of the mobilization. What’s the point of spending several nights in front of the Brandenburg Gate and in the freezing cold of their tractor cab, some ask.

Alex Schwarze, who made the trip between Saxony and Berlin three times with his tractor – 5 hours there, 5 hours back – wonders if the German farmers’ strategy was the right one. “I am disappointed that our unions did not put more pressure and that they were content with empty phrases from politicians,” he regrets. “We are just too calm and harmless, like a flock of sheep.”

I am really jealous of what is happening in France, with the barricades, the burning tires, the blocked roads. The French are more virulent and that could be a model for us. Because what did we get? Nothing. What did the French get? Not everything they wanted but a lot of it.

Alex Schwarze, farmer

at franceinfo

From his office near Leipzig, Torsten Krawczyk heads the Agricultural Union of the Saxony region. He takes a less critical look at the situation. Because if the German government has remained firm, the European Union has softened its positions. For example, the obligation to leave 4% of land fallow or to ensure crop rotation is over. Certain environmental rules have also been revised, and this is thanks to the mobilization of farmers throughout Europe, says Torsten Krawczyk.

“We appeared united and we fought for the same things”, he congratulates himself. Before continuing: “We German farmers have felt alone too often, continues the leader of the Agricultural Union of the Saxony region, And there, there was a spirit of solidarity, we stuck together. This is what made this event unique.” “This gives me hope for the European elections in June, because we are now talking a lot more about Europe, its challenges and its common values” .

The German Minister of Agriculture said, in any case, that he had heard the anger of the farmers. He asks them for a little time to resolve the crisis. Time, answers the agricultural world, which we do not have. Since 2001, their number has fallen by 40%.