Frank Rinck, June 6, 2024, Farming

German Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll 20/172, pp. 22279-22280. 

Herr President. Valued colleagues. Dear fellow citizens. 

Today it is once again about further complicating the German fertilizer law for our farmers, and introducing yet more bureaucracy – 

            Sylvia Lehmann (SPD): Nein!

but one thing after the other. To begin with, it must be stated – and this we may not forget – that the problems deliberated here were first generally produced by the old parties. A faulty and very questionable nitrate monitoring network provided that just these nitrate values, upon which we here proceed, have come to an end in Brussels. 

            Karl Bär (Greens): That’s not in the monitoring! 

Unfortunately, this is made a theme only by us, and unfortunately none of you appear to see a need for a correction. 

Ladies and gentlemen, everything which was passed here in the last years in regards agriculture policy generally needs to be on the test stand. And do not worry: Once we of the AfD govern, we will correct all of your failures. That is a promise upon which the farmers in the future can rely. 

Basically, it can be said that the good,  professional practices of our farmers and their economic interests do not allow that more fertilizer comes into the field than the crops require. It all of course costs money and resources. And, ladies and gentlemen, no farmer squanders his money or resources; they want to work economically. If you would for once pass some time with real professionals – and I mean practicing farmers – 

            Sylvia Lehmann (SPD): We do that!

and not with whichever demagogue from your associations, you would know that. Yet what have you here today to decide? It’s about the introduction of a nationwide monitoring of active ingredients for fertilizer supply.  

Till Steffen (Greens): Don’t fall asleep up there! Man, man man!

Besides in our view, we could in fact say, in so far as it would be connected, that demonstrably clean water agricultural operations in red areas would finally be freed of senseless fertilizer duties. Under-fertilization is besides an exhaustion of the soil, and that is actually also a form of expropriation of the affected farmers. Nevertheless, of that there is in your draft law no word to be found. Your motion indeed sets this as a goal; yet it’s spongy there, that then this should be first clarified with the EU. 

Ladies and gentlemen, that is unacceptable. If the active ingredients monitoring does not here include distinct goals, then it is to be rejected; especially since, for the first in line operations, the monitoring means new bureaucracy burdens and documentation obligations. 

With that, we come then to the next point, the planned expansion of the material flow balance in §11 of the fertilizer law; you now call it “nutrient balancing”. Ladies and gentlemen, the material flow balance shall in the future be obligatory for all arable farms and bio-has facilities. Why is that actually? That is neither asserted in EU law, nor is it purposeful when at the same time shall come the active ingredients monitoring. 

The experts at the hearing – this, the colleague Staubinger already said – have distinctly indicated that this is not sensible and brings with it no recognizable uses at all. The material flow balance is therefore, and in view of your robust promises of deconstruction of bureaucracy at the farmers’ protests, to be eliminated in its entirety. 

Now on that we have plainly heard that this besides costs all otherwise than much money. Ladies and gentlemen, it is certainly not as if your draft law costs no money: A quarter of a million euros will each be assessed in the BLE [Federal Institute for Agriculture and Food] – for that, three new positions will created; thus then come three new green ideologues who will make it still more difficult for the farmers – and a half million euros for the Julius Kühn Institute. 

Karl Bär (Greens): These people shall certify EU fertilizer products with CE labels. Yet that is fully unrealistic!

I can well imagine what happens with this money: Still more green ideologues will then be employed. 

Ladies and gentlemen, you of the Ampel remain true to yourselves with your destruction of our German agriculture. The draft law put forward is just one additional vexation for the German agriculture. And we therefore reject it. 

Many thanks. 

 

[trans: tem]

Frank Rinck, May 19, 2022, Food Supply and Fertilizer

German Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll 20/27, pp. 3595-3596.

Herr President. Valued colleagues.

We stand before the next crisis, a crisis which puts into play the supply security of foodstuffs in Germany, and in regards to which there can no longer be room for ideological or unworldly fantasies. The AfD demands a crop-oriented fertilizer [pflanzengerechte Düngung] so as to produce the highest possible yield from our domestic fields.

Ladies and gentlemen, this should actually be self-evident. Unfortunately however, the policy in this sovereign house in the last years, and especially since the formation of the Ampel government, is rather therein intent on inducing our farmers to give up their operations and farms and on deconstructing our agriculture. There now must be an end to that! We can no longer conduct such an irresponsible policy. We need to secure the supply of our population, and beyond that we need also to be in the position to support economically weaker countries with foodstuffs so as to prevent refugee movements to Europe.

This requires, as described in our motion [Drucksache 20/1865], as intensive agriculture with crop-oriented fertilizer – and not a scarcity and shortage supply like the government strives for. A further reduction of our production would further allow prices to increase at the cost of the population. In regards the current inflation, this is scarcely bearable for the people in our homeland.

In the CDU/CSU motion, it was said that we can get along with this. It would have been nice, dear colleagues, if you had gone more into such points as, for example, point 11, where you demand that the idling of 4 percent of the agricultural area should be suspended in 2023. This unfortunately you have not now done. Yet in considering the situation, this point is exactly right and we therefore support your motion.

Unfortunately, with you the theme of fertilizer is a bit lost. We have therefore associated with a motion. Fortunately, we are represented in this house. Last Monday in the public hearing, it was quite clear that we have to expect a large deficit in the fertilizer supply, and that also there the Federal government will again not do its household duties. Herr Hemmerling, the assistant secretary-general of the Deutschen Bauernverband, very impressively set forth that the foodstuffs supply in Germany is not to be guaranteed with organic fertilizer alone, and that the mineral fertilizer supply is critical. It is fully clear that we should listen to the experts and need to immediately secure the supply with fertilizer as we have demanded in our motion.

Valued colleagues of the government, concern yourselves with the fertilizer supply, and with reliable suppliers which in regards mineral fertilizer are not to be reckoned from Russia and the Ukraine. We need to make our agriculture crisis-proof, and not whenever but now.

Herr Minister, you unfortunately are not present – I proceed however in case you follow this debate from afar – in addition please reconsider how you deal with our farmers. Our farmers are not radical people on the margins but are of the middle of society and guarantee our supply with the means of living. The German farmers do not think themselves clever but have a well-founded, practical education. I here and today demand of our Federal Agriculture Minister to apologize to the farmers whom he has insulted

            Renate Künast (Greens): What?

and to occupy himself preferably with the real problems of German agriculture, instead of insulting our farmers.

Many thanks.

 

[trans: tem]  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

Frank Rinck, January 14, 2022, Farming

German Bundestag, Plenarprotokoll 20/12, p. 743.

Many thanks. Frau President. Valued colleagues.

The agriculture is stuck in one of the worst crises of all times: Prices which do not cover costs, considerably more expensive leases, farmer bashing, excessive fertilizer prices and much too much bureaucracy. As a farmer, I can say to you: For all the rest of the afternoon, I could tell of yet other things.

To the matter at hand. At the entry into office, the new Federal government and those responsible to the Chancellor spoke of the Great Transformation. For my part, I can only hope that at the end of this Great Transformation does not stand the end of our domestic agriculture.  

As last year the global supply chains came undone on account of the Corona virus, we saw, honorable colleagues, how susceptible are our supply chains and our economy worldwide. I certainly do not want to imagine in this place what would happen in this country if toilet paper and food were lacking in the stores. I ask you all for once to consider it.

For this reason, I can only admonish you to support the farmers, to strengthen their operations and to offer them a reasonable, economic perspective so as to secure the provisioning of our population in Germany. Turn away from the import craze and come back to the standard of “Made in Germany”, especially in regards to food! We will thereby gladly help you to create standards that take care for this, that work well with our farmers here in Germany, that enable them to produce quality, high-value and regional food without being pushed to the edge of ruin. Reasonable, crop-oriented fertilizer and an appropriate crop protection would be the necessary foundation stones fitting for this, just as fitting as planning security and guarantees for the farmers which still pay tomorrow for today’s investments.

I then need say one thing: We have previously heard some contributions regarding the swinekeepers and the prices. Ladies and gentlemen, we have unfortunately heard nothing of the African swine flu which here spreads ever further. There are nevertheless only sporadic preventive measures against this expansion. This threatens the swinekeepers throughout Germany. But good, so much on that.

Yet again on the ranchers [Weidetierhaltern]: We heard that we want to make the stalls nicer. But just for once let us begin with protecting our livestock, protecting against predators like the wolves! At best, let us lighten the burden of proof for cases of laceration [Rissvorfällen], or overturn it completely so that these ranchers also have a future which you here, ja, apparently just do not want to take into consideration.

Ideology was never a good counselor and it certainly is also not in regards the topic of wolves.

The theme of species variety we have also heard of here today. It is naturally very interesting that here we breed predatory animals which then subsequently feed on production animals [Nutztiere]. 

– Frau President, I have the time in view; I am almost done.

Last but not least, a few words on what was previously decided on here by the government and which also was absolutely negative for the German farmer: The reduction of the value-added tax assessment rate which was reduced from 10.7 to 9.5 percent. That was an absolute hit for general agricultural operations. This decision this year costs the farmers 90 million euros which the Federal government itself has quickly pocketed. Many thanks for that to the government, and from me as a farmer!

– A last sentence, then I am done. Herr Minister Özdemir, we will measure you by your actions. Create better future perspectives! We will thereby naturally support you. A sly, old country proverb says: As the farmer lives, so lives the country.

Many thanks.

 

[trans: tem]