Ludger Schulze Pals awarded the Tilo Freiherr von Wilmowsky Prize

The Ladwirtschaft-Industrie e.V. (VLI) liaison body has awarded Dr. Ludger Schulze Pals, Managing Director of Landwirtschaftsverlag Münster, the Tilo Freiherr von Wilmowsky Honorary Award. „Ludger Schulze Pals has in-depth knowledge of agriculture and agricultural policy, is highly respected in the industry and is a valued discussion partner. He is therefore a worthy recipient of the VLI Honorary Award,“ said VLI Chairman Peter R. Müller, Bayer AG, at last week's award ceremony in Leverkusen.

The VLI awards the prize for its commitment to bringing together agriculture, industry, trade and service providers This was also the aim of Tilo Freiherr von Wilmowsky when he co-founded the VLI almost 100 years ago as Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the then Krupp AG. This is why VLI sees itself as a platform for cross-industry dialog.

„This dialog is more important today than ever, especially between farmers and non-farmers. More tolerance, more respect and more appreciation are needed here - from both sides,“ said Ludger Schulze Pals in his acceptance speech. „We in the agricultural sector can also become even better. To do this, we need more understanding for the views and arguments of our counterparts, more willingness to consider their concerns and more willingness to meet their needs. Our aspiration in the agricultural sector must be to develop the necessary credibility for this.“

There are encouraging role models in the agricultural sector, bridge builders who have rendered outstanding services to the relationship between farmers and non-farmers, who have sought balance and compromise, Schulze Pals continued. The Managing Director of Landwirtschaftsverlag cited Jochen Borchert, the former Federal Minister of Agriculture and Head of the Livestock Farming Competence Network, as an example. DLG President Hubertus Paetow, the former Vice President of the German Farmers' Association and current Minister of Agriculture of Schleswig-Holstein, Werner Schwarz, as well as Kathrin Muus, former Chairwoman of the Federation of German Rural Youth, and Myriam Rapior, former board member of BUND Youth, also acted as bridge builders in the Future Commission for Agriculture. „Bridge builders strike a softer, more thoughtful tone and argue in a differentiated way. We should all be guided by this,“ the prizewinner demanded.

The VLI Honorary Award has been presented since 2012. The prizewinners include Gerd Sonnleitner, Philip von dem Bussche, Carl-Albrecht Bartmer, Prof. Dr. Regina Birner and Cornelia Horsch. „Ludger Schulze Pals is in the best of company among the top-class prizewinners. The entire team at Landwirtschaftsverlag Münster shares his delight at receiving this award,“ says Malte Schwerdtfeger, joint Managing Director of the Landwirtschaftsverlag Münster group of companies.

Further information on the prize and the winners can be found here:Freiherr von Wilmowsky-Preis: VLI (vli-agribusiness.de).