Germany's farmers want to milk cows, not fill out forms

Annika Pape, who grew up on a farm, once swore she would never marry a farmer. And in a way, that's how things turned out ― unfortunately. Her husband Jan, with whom she runs a dairy farm with 280 cows and 11 employees in Lower Saxony, northern Germany, has turned into more of an office worker.

"He currently spends 70% of his time in the office and that's not really what he wants and what he was trained for. A farmer wants to feed and milk cows and not spend the whole week in the office racking his brains on how to meet some kind of bureaucratic requirement," says Pape. Many other farmers agree.

The German government's plan to gradually cut back subsidies for agricultural diesel has been the straw that broke the camel's back and has driven farmers and their tractors onto the streets to protest.

What annoys the farmers most of all is the excessive bureaucracy, the jumble of requirements and regulations, imposed by the state government, the federal government, or the European Union. In Pape's case, it has meant having to employ an additional person to deal with all the extra administration.

"We farmers have always had to adapt to political conditions but it's unbelievable how extreme things have become in recent years. In the last two years alone, the 'red zones' in our region have been changed four times. And we then have to think again and again about what we are allowed to fertilize and grow," Pape explains.

"Red zones" are areas contaminated with nitrate. There are special requirements for the use of fertilizer in these areas in order to protect groundwater. In Germany, around 3 million hectares (around 11,600 square miles) are designated as red zones.

Farmers have to deal with moving goalposts

As Annika Pape recounts the back and forth in political decision-making of the last few decades, you get an idea of what is driving farmers to despair. Again and again, farmers were encouraged to change their production methods, to diversify, then to specialize.

Whether it is seed suppliers or fertilizer manufacturers or retail chains, farmers often deal with very large companies that are able to dictate the prices for agricultural produce. This is another annoyance for farmers, in addition to the excessive bureaucracy.

Because the nearby dairy now pays very low prices for milk, the Papes find themselves driving 70 kilometers (43.5 miles) to the neighboring state of Schleswig-Holstein where they get a better deal. "In view of the carbon footprint, of course, this is counterproductive," Annika Pape complains.

Jan-Bernd Tönjes runs a farm with 140 cows. He says the dairy currently pays him 46 cents ($0.50) for a liter of milk but that at the same time, the cost of milk production has risen by 10 cents per liter in recent years due to rising energy and fertilizer costs.

"We would actually need 50 cents per liter to cover all costs including our wages. The problem is that we have thousands of farmers in Germany but only four or five retail partners. And they pass any price hikes on to the consumer," Tönjes tells DW, adding that this means people will buy less.

Surveys have shown that consumers say they think the farmers should be respected and be fairly paid for their work. But then they tend to reach for the cheapest product in the supermarket.

Given current rates of inflation, Tönjes can sympathize with this decision-making by consumers. But he says he needs security and the ability to plan ahead.

"We have invested almost €1.5 million in a modern barn with spacious cubicles for our 140 cows. But it's possible that in five years' time, politicians will tell us that they have a different idea. That's what happened with laying hens and pigs, which is why many farmers got out of that business. You simply need certainty to be able to plan ahead for 20 or 25 years," he explains.

The extinction of farms continues

Germany's  DZ Bank recently predicted that the number of farms in Germany will continue to decline at a rapid pace until 2040. According to a survey conducted by the bank, only around 100,000 of approximately 256,000 farms will survive. Smaller farms run by part-time farmers or where the farmer has no successor to take over will have to give up.

Esther Achler is an agronomist and founder of the "Farmers Factory," a start-up that advises farmers on how to future-proof their farms.

"The challenges are immense," she told DW. "Whether due to politics or climate change. We want to support farmers so that they can adapt and proactively position themselves for the coming years and stop seeing themselves as victims."

What began three years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic with a few video courses has now become a successful business. Farmers aged 26 to 53 have signed up as customers. One of them is Annika Pape.

The questions are often the same: How do I organize my own farm better and make it more viable? How do I recruit when there is a shortage of skilled workers?

"We have an incredible amount of bureaucracy in Germany, incredibly high production costs, high environmental standards and many regulations that are not entirely comprehensible," Achler says. "And at the end of the day, many farmers are left with a very small income, which makes it very difficult for them to go on."

"I don't think rolling back all the cuts in subsidies, which the president of the farmers' association is demanding, is something the government can do," Annika Pape says.

She thinks that giving in to the farmers now would lead other groups in society to demand similar measures be rolled back, too. But Pape would like to see farmers' concerns being taken more seriously.

"I would simply like to see a dialogue between politicians and us again," she concludes.

This article was originally written in German.

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