Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir (Greens) wants to achieve reasonable prices for food and agricultural products in Germany.

"There must be no more junk prices for food, they are driving farms into ruin, preventing more animal welfare, promoting species extinction and polluting the climate," said Özdemir of "Bild am Sonntag".

However, food is unlikely to become a luxury good.

“But the price has to express the ecological truth more strongly,” says Özdemir.

There are three important goals: a secure and good income for the farmers, healthy food for everyone and more animal welfare, climate and environmental protection.

The number of livestock in Germany must be reduced: "The number of animals must be based on the available space."

This is a "win-win for humans and animals".

The Minister of Agriculture is also aiming to expand the area of ​​organically cultivated fields by 2030 from just under 10 percent to 30 percent at present, and to use the state's buying power: catering in public facilities should be converted to more regional and organic products.

"The state must be a role model."

Lemke against pesticides

Özdemir's party and cabinet colleague, Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke, calls for a sharp reduction in the use of pesticides in agriculture. “I'm not assuming that we will be able to do without pesticides entirely within four years. But we need a significant reduction if we want to stop the death of insects, ”said the Green politician to the newspapers of the Funke media group. "We can reduce the use of pesticides through financial incentives, but also through regulatory law," she added.

She is convinced that most farmers want to use less pesticides.

For decades, however, they have been forced into a predicament by the European agricultural policy, with farms growing and having to generate more income or being bought up.

Lemke criticized the decision to continue the European agricultural policy for the next seven years with the participation of the previous government.

Exit from the area bonus

“We urgently need to get out of this system of simple area payments, which are paid without any ecological consideration.

The traffic light government will have to prepare for this over the next four years.

Only in this way will we have enough healthy and varied food, ”demanded the Environment Minister.

Lemke also warned in the debate about the expansion of renewable energies against putting climate protection above species protection.

There are two major ecological crises on the planet that "need to be resolved together: the climate crisis and the species extinction crisis," said the minister.

“One is just as important as the other.” Both crises threatened the natural foundations of life to a blatant extent.

The Federal Environment Agency under Lemke recently announced that the use of problematic pesticides such as insecticides that are dangerous for bees or herbicides that are critical to the groundwater increased again in the past year.

In 2018 and 2019 there was a presumably drought-related decline.

The Federal Council recently approved two ordinances on the Common European Agricultural Policy (CAP).

The CAP reform aims to make agriculture in Europe more environmentally friendly and fairer.

The regulations lay down binding environmental regulations and requirements that must be met in order to receive payments from the CAP.

This is about 42 billion euros by 2027.

In addition, the ecological regulations with which farmers can voluntarily implement additional measures for environmental and climate protection are defined in more detail.

However, the reforms do not go far enough for the Greens and environmental groups.