Germany: 20% organic acreage until 2030?

CDU member Julia Klöckner is Germany's new Minister of Agriculture and Food. Photo © CDU Landesverband Rheinland-Pfalz

Almost six months after the election of the new German government last September, the governing coalition between CDU/CSU and SPD is now in place. One of the agreed goals of the two parties is to achieve 20% organic cultivation land by 2030, and Julia Klöckner (CDU), Federal Minister of Agriculture and Food, is about to implement the announcements for sustainable agriculture.

The coalition agreement defines the primary goal as "sustainable, nationwide agriculture - both organic and conventional". It should be "multifunctional, rural - entrepreneurial, family-run and regionally rooted". On organic farming, the text states: "Based on the Zukunftsstrategie Ökologischer Landbau [Engl. Future Strategy of Organic Agriculture], we will continue to expand organic farming in order to achieve an area share of 20% in line with demand and with the expansion of research by 2030". The coalition partners explicitly want to promote "projects for regional value creation and marketing", citing the Netzwerk Solidarische Landwirtschaft (Engl. Solidary Agriculture Network) as an example.

The new black-red government is in place. What does this mean for the organic sector? Photo © Fotolia

According to Klöckner, farmers suffer from many different conditions imposed by both the European and German governments. Furthermore, it is above all organic agriculture that is affected by the high level of bureaucracy. Particularly in terms of the planned expansion of organic farming, Klöckner wants to work on "reducing bureaucracy and increasing the effectiveness of European agricultural policy", said the minister in her first government declaration in the German parliament. In an interview with the TV-channel SWR, Klöckner explained that the coalition's agreed goals are ambitious. However, she considers the projects, in particular the increase in organic cultivation areas, to be quite feasible.

There is still much to do

Although many players in the organic sector set themselves far higher targets than 20% organic acreage by 2030 (e.g. IFOAM EU Organic Vision 2030), the aspirations of the new federal government are nevertheless regarded as important. "Reaching 20% organic area by 2030 at the latest, as agreed in the coalition agreement, is a concrete solution and not only offers a future perspective for German agriculture, but also ensures clean water, high biodiversity and more animal welfare", says Jan Plagge, President of the German organic association Bioland.

In order to reach 20% organic cultivated land, the German goverment has many concessions to make. Photo © Pixabay

However, some important steps still need to be taken to achieve this goal: "Ms Klöckner must now consistently implement the balanced measures of the ‘Zukunftsstrategie ökologischer Landbau’ for research, conversion and sales development. This will not succeed if the disadvantage in the distribution of public research funds is not ended", Plagge continued. The organic associations Bioland and the Bund Ökologische Lebensmittelwirtschaft (BÖLW) argue that at least 20% of agricultural research funds would have to go towards organic research; today the amount of funds is only around 1.5%. Other important factors are also the use of taxpayers' money for environmental protection and thus the promotion of the environmental performance of organic farms; compulsory livestock farming labels on meat products, support for fair trade, safeguarding the absence of genetic engineering and the strengthening of healthy nutrition in public institutions.

Nationwide ban on genetically modified crops

The coalition agreement promises, as already in the exploratory phase, a uniform nationwide ban on genetic engineering cultivation and adherence to seed purity. The grand coalition, also called GroKo in Germany, rejects patents on plants and animals as well as the cloning of animals for food production. What is new in comparison is the sentence: "Following the pending decision of the European Court of Justice (EUCJ) on the new molecular biological breeding technologies, we will make regulations at European or national level that guarantee the precautionary principle and freedom of choice". According to the organic and environmental associations, this is only possible if these technologies are subject to genetic engineering law.

German agriculture without glyphosate?

The exploratory formulation "We will use a systematic reduction strategy to significantly restrict the use of pesticides containing glyphosate with the aim of terminating their use as quickly as possible" has remained, but has slipped from the agricultural section into the environmental section under the chapter biodiversity conservation. What has remained in the agricultural section is the "Agriculture strategy for environmentally and nature-compatible applications of plant protection products" with the requirement that it should be presented by the middle of the legislative period in autumn 2020.

Even though glyphosate cannot be banned within the next five years, the German government aims at avoiding to make use of the herbicide. Photo © Pixabay

In an interview with the German TV-channel SWR, Klöckner explained that a ban on the controversial pesticide glyphosate is currently not possible due to the recently extended approval by the EU Commission of the "probably carcinogenic" herbicide. However, the German government has set itself the goal of getting along without glyphosate on agricultural land in the long term.

With regard to the use of insecticides and bee deaths, the Federal Minister of Agriculture also said: "When our scientists tell me that the Neonics [...] lead to the death of bees, I will find a solution together with agriculture and with European partners. What's harmful to bees has to get out of the market." These aims depend heavily on the measures mentioned above to implement the plan for more ecological areas, as the use of dangerous pesticides decreases with the promotion of environmentally friendly services and organic farms.

Closing gaps in animal welfare legislation

The federal government is also planning a state animal welfare label for the coming legislative period. In her government declaration, Klöckner commented on the project as follows: "We must close gaps in animal welfare. I want all animals to be well and animal welfare to pay off: for the consumer, for the animal owner and for the animal. […] Better standards must be recognisable. The label should give the consumer orientation. Consumers decide what animal welfare is worth to them. Meat and sausage from animal husbandry with a high quality of life also cost more. The cost of this, however, cannot be borne by the farmers alone."

Within the next legisture period, the German government does not plan to end mass livestock farming. However, the Federal Ministry aims at implementing a state animal welfare label. Photo © Pixabay

With regard to the efforts of some discount stores to establish their own animal welfare labels and thus, to create even more confusion among consumers, Dr Felix Prinz zu Löwenstein, farmer and chairman of the BÖLW, welcomes Klöckner's plans and underlines: "Only [with an obligatory state labelling system] customers can support the conversion of agriculture with their purchase decision. Following the well-known egg, a husbandry mark for pork has to look like this: "3" minimum legal standard, "2" straw and more space in the barn, "1" additional outlet and "0" organic as premium level and the highest legal standard of animal husbandry."

By autumn 2020, the killing of one day-old chicks is also to be ended. The exploratory sentence "We will close gaps in animal welfare standards" has now been limited to "non-curative interventions" such as beak shortening and piglet castration. The following sentence can also be understood as a restriction: "We want to protect the existence of approved animal husbandry facilities during modernisation measures for animal welfare purposes." Animal rights activists may consider the statement: "We want to punish burglaries in animal stables effectively as a criminal offence" as a combat announcement.

A holistic approach to malnutrition

In the nutrition section of the coalition agreement, the goal is: "We want to promote a health-preserving and sustainable lifestyle from field to plate, combat diet-related diseases and strengthen consumer health protection." The measures to achieve this are, by and large, a continuation of existing programs and initiatives. The new Minister of Food also emphasizes that nutrition education plays an important role starting from kindergarten age.

Work against the development of malnutrition should already start in the day nursery. Photo © Pixabay

According to her government declaration, Klöckner is also committed to making the information on the packaging clearer and thus, to avoid consumer deception. However, the minister firmly rejects the so-called "food traffic light" which identifies the nutritional values of a product in the colours red, yellow and green. To the German newspaper FAZ, Klöckner explained that such labelling would cause confusion, as natural foods would sometimes be rated worse than processed foods - such as juices compared to sugar-reduced lemonades. She also argues that it is not only the products themselves that cause malnutrition. In order to avoid the consequences of malnutrition, she sees a holistic approach as more efficient.

It remains to be seen whether and how Klöckner will implement the coalition agreement and her plans as the new Minister of Agriculture. On Klöckner's agricultural policy plans Dr Felix Prinz zu Löwenstein comments in a press release of the BÖLW: "Now concrete implementation steps have to follow. Inspection missions, round tables or green papers are not enough to enable farmers to live off their products and at the same time protect the climate and the environment. Organic farmers have been successfully advancing here for decades. And especially organic farms are growth drivers in rural regions and make them the power centres of Germany.”

Background:

CDU member Julia Klöckner is Germany's new Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture. She had already led the coalition negotiations on the agriculture chapter and was Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture from 2009 to 2011.

By Leo Frühschütz and Daniela Nickel