In view of rising food prices, associations have warned of food shortages and called on Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) to act.
"At some point, the question will no longer be how much raw materials for our food cost on the world market, but whether we can still get any," said Christian von Boetticher, President of the Federal Association of the German Food Industry, of the "Bild" newspaper.
Boetticher called on Özdemir to "finally switch from the Greens program to active crisis management".
With regard to rising food prices and an additional 50 million starving people worldwide, “one cannot explain to anyone that German farmers should only cultivate 20 percent of the cultivated land organically in the future and that ten percent should even be set aside as ecological fallow land.”
Dairy products will probably become more expensive
The umbrella organization of dairies and milk processors in Germany assumes that dairy products – including cheese – will become significantly more expensive again.
"In the case of dairy products with longer contract terms, the price increases in the shop have not really arrived yet, that will only happen in the coming weeks and months," said Björn Börgermann, Managing Director of the Dairy Industry Association, of the "Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung".
Rates of increase of 20 percent are quite possible.
In the end, however, this is a matter for negotiation between dairies and trading companies.
Karsten Schmal, vice-president of the farmers' association, called in the newspaper for increases in revenue to be passed on "in full" to farmers: "Regardless of whether it's organic or conventional, milk producer prices must rise." de facto fizzle out in the milk price,” says Schmal.
In addition, farmers are concerned whether, for example, sufficient feed for cows will be available in the future.