Frustration has built up among farming families

Minister President Hendrik Wüst visited Landwirtschaftsverlag Münster

„Frustration has built up.“ This was the conclusion drawn by NRW Minister President Hendrik Wüst during his visit to Landwirtschaftsverlag Münster. „I am increasingly noticing that young farming families no longer have a good feeling about investing in agriculture. If this trend continues to grow, it will mean a break with agriculture that I have not experienced in the last three decades. The approving reactions of the audience at the Farmers' Day in Münster in June showed me how sensitive and agitated the mood among farmers has become,“ said Wüst in an interview with the editors of the weekly newspaper for agriculture and rural life.

Farmers felt that their work was not sufficiently valued. „That's why we need to make the role of agriculture as a food producer more visible. I don't want to be dependent on food imports, as we have been with gas,“ the Minister President stated clearly. The separation of the agriculture and environment ministries in Düsseldorf when the CDU and Greens formed the government was therefore correct and important. „Agriculture now has a strong voice in the cabinet and the Ministry of Agriculture has a protective mandate for the special interests of agriculture,“ emphasized the NRW head of government.

Another topic that was discussed intensively during the Minister President's editorial visit was the consumption of land, particularly for residential and commercial areas as well as road construction, which results in the loss of around five hectares of production area every day and therefore a lack of production potential of around 14,000 tons of wheat per year in NRW alone. The Minister President made it clear that the state was required to firstly use as little valuable production area as possible for compensation and replacement and secondly to achieve the highest possible „ecological enhancement“ on these areas. Incidentally, this principle also applies to the expansion of photovoltaics. „I clearly warn against using agricultural land that is then not available for food production. We must first exploit the other potential for the expansion of PV: on public roof areas, in new builds and in existing buildings. That has priority,“ Wüst made clear.

You can read the detailed interview with North Rhine-Westphalia's Minister President Hendrik Wüst in issue 47/2023 of Wochenblatt für Landwirtschaft und Landleben on November 23, 2023 (eMagazine at www.wochenblatt.com)