Jochen Borchert awarded the Franz Luster-Haggeney Prize

On 26 November 2025, former Federal Minister of Agriculture Jochen Bochert was awarded the Franz Luster-Haggeney Prize by the Münster Agricultural Publishing Foundation at the estate Havichhorst in Münster for his achievements within the framework of the Competence Network for Livestock Farming. The prize is awarded for outstanding achievements that contribute to improving the relationship between agriculture and society, strengthening the links between urban and rural areas, and promoting a positive public perception of agriculture and rural life.

‘Jochen Borchert deserves this award because he has succeeded in bringing together a very diverse group of representatives from agriculture, veterinary medicine, environmental protection and science to identify long-term development prospects for German livestock farming while at the same time improving social acceptance for the production of milk and meat,’ said Hubertus Beringmeier, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Landwirtschaftsverlag Foundation, praising the award winner's achievements.

It is well known that the implementation of the Borchert Plan failed. However, in Beringmeier's view, this in no way detracts from the achievements of the 85-year-old former Federal Minister of Agriculture. 'Jochen Borchert proved that seemingly incompatible positions can be reconciled. He proved that even with a difficult topic such as livestock farming, it is possible to create a constructive climate for discussion in which citizens' understanding of the difficult conditions faced by livestock farmers grows. For example, it was only in the course of reporting on the Borchert Plan that many consumers learned about the environmental and building regulations that must be complied with when constructing livestock housing, the additional work involved in improving animal welfare, and what this costs. In times like these, when extreme positions are becoming increasingly irreconcilable, this is an achievement that cannot be overestimated,' said Hubertus Beringmeier in his laudatory speech at the award ceremony.

Background information
The Competence Network for Livestock Farming was established in April 2019 by the then Federal Minister of Agriculture, Julia Klöckner. Ten months later, in February 2020, the 29-member committee headed by Jochen Borchert presented its recommendations for the future of livestock farming in Germany. These recommendations were incorporated verbatim into the final report of the Future Commission on Agriculture, but have not yet been implemented. In August 2023, the Competence Network for Livestock Farming ceased its work because the federal government was unwilling to allocate sufficient funds for the implementation of the Borchert Plan in the 2024 budget.

About the price
The Franz Luster-Haggeney Prize from the Landwirtschaftsverlag Foundation is being awarded for the first time this year. It commemorates the farmer and politician Franz Luster-Haggeney (1895–1958) from Wadersloh-Liesborn, who shortly after the war played a leading role in founding the Westphalia-Lippe Chamber of Agriculture, the Westphalia-Lippe Agricultural Association and the Landwirtschaftsverlag Münster publishing house. These three institutions and their legal successors continue to have a significant influence on agriculture in Westphalia-Lippe today.

About the Agricultural Publishing Foundation
The non-profit foundation Landwirtschaftsverlag Münster was established in 2012 by the owners of Landwirtschaftsverlag Münster, the Westfälisch-Lippischer Landwirtschaftsverband (Westphalia-Lippe Agricultural Association), the Westfälische Landschaft foundation and the Raiffeisenverband Westfalen-Lippe (Raiffeisen Association of Westphalia-Lippe). It promotes projects and measures in rural areas in the fields of science and research, education and training, art and culture, and monument preservation.

Press contact:
Dr. Ludger Schulze Pals
Executive Board of the Agricultural Publishing Foundation
Ludger.SchulzePals@lv.de
Tel. +49 2501 801 6600
Hülsebrockstr. 2–8, 48165 Münster