Farmers in Brandenburg demand the end of the bureaucracy: We need relief!

Farmers in Brandenburg demand the end of the bureaucracy: We need relief!

The Agricultural Cooperative Sonnenwalde in Elbe-Elster, Brandenburg, is the focus of current discussions about the challenges of German agriculture. With a company that houses 1,120 cattle and 380 sheep, including approximately 50 percent dairy cows, the cooperative manages an area of ​​2,200 hectares in ten villages. For 40 employees, the cooperative pursues the main objective of milk production, cattle and sheep farming as well as agriculture. However, the company is increasingly seeing difficulties through bureaucracy and unclear guidelines that are reinforced by continuous controls and the controversial substance obligation. This obligation, which has been over 20 hectares since 2018, requires a weekly documentation of nutrient flows, which many farmers perceive and see critically. Frank, a representative of the cooperative, criticized the lack of evaluation and benefits of this balance.

The Federal Government has decided to abolish the material electricity balance, but there are voices such as those of environmental associations, including Greenpeace and German Environmental Aid, which consider this decision to be problematic. Despite the return to the full reimbursement of Agrardiesel from 2026, uncertainty about administrative hurdles remains a big topic. In the company, around 250,000 liters of diesel are consumed annually, of which one part is not reimbursable, which also contains the production costs in a time increasing energy prices.

bureaucracy and its consequences

The discussion about bureaucracy in agriculture is not limited to Brandenburg. In Schleswig-Holstein, farmers such as Jan Witting criticize inefficient documentation through the material electricity balance. A simple reduction in bureaucracy is required, since the effort not only affects the time frame of the farmers, but also endangers the competitiveness of the companies. The demands are supported by the Schleswig-Holstein Farmers' Association and various political factions, including the FDP, which discuss the abolition of the obligation. Agriculture Minister Werner Schwarz has also spoken out for nationwide regulations for de -bureaucratization.

The importance of the material power balance is emphasized by some converting experts, which you consider as necessary for transparency in nutrient management. Nevertheless, many farmers are skeptical and look forward to possible simplifications of the reporting requirements that the federal government is currently examining. At the Agricultural Ministers' Conference in January 2024, it was already agreed that concrete proposals for bureaucracy relief should be submitted, which are to be evaluated in the context of political discussions between the federal and state governments.

wishes for support

A central point in the discussions is also the desire for more planning security for investing in modern animal husbandry. Currently, the funding is often temporary and difficult to plan, which has a lot of disadvantaged. According to numerous farmers, the lack of planning security hinders the development of their operating models. With the increase in operating costs as a result of increasing energy prices and the pressure through political decisions, many companies see the future of their mode of production.

The Sonnenwalde agricultural cooperative is an example of these challenges, but also for the solidarity and committed use of bureaucratic hurdles in agriculture. The frustration of political decisions, which are often considered practical, is omnipresent. The demand for a thorough review and reduction of unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles remains a central concern to ensure the future of agriculture in Germany.