The federal government's austerity plans are causing farmers' protests across the country. Free Voters leader Aiwanger assures farmers of support.
Munich – According to their leader Hubert Aiwanger, the Free Voters want to be “at the forefront” of the farmers’ protests in Bavaria on Monday. The party wanted to make a clear commitment to farmers, he said on Saturday (January 6th) at the Epiphany meeting in Bad Füssing (Passau district).
It goes without saying that there should be no criminal actions or damage to property during the demonstrations. He wants to ensure that farmers leave the places where they protest cleaner than they were before. “Farmers know how to behave.”
Aiwanger wants to support farmers' protests: More than 200 meetings expected in Bavaria
According to the Interior Ministry, more than 200 meetings with thousands of tractors have been registered in Bavaria for the coming week. Reason for this: Farmers should forego part of their tax relief. The federal government has already dropped its plan to abolish the vehicle tax exemption for agricultural vehicles. However, the abolition of the agricultural diesel benefit should remain, albeit extended to three years. That is not enough for the farmers.
It's about security of supply for the population, said Aiwanger, who himself is a farmer in Lower Bavaria. Germany should not be dependent on a ship with a delivery from China. Farmers are a hard-working professional group who work from Monday morning to Sunday evening – for this they must be valued by the federal government. However, in Berlin decisions are made by people “who cannot distinguish a cow from a sow”.
Union parties support farmers: Accusation of a “rotten compromise” at traffic lights
State farmer Christine Singer, the Free Voters' top candidate in the 2024 European elections, also showed solidarity. She wants to advocate for her profession at the European level. Among other things, she criticized the “bureaucratic madness” that could no longer be managed. She went on to say that food safety comes before climate protection and biodiversity.
The Union parties have also already announced support for farmers to stick to planned protest actions. “The farmers’ protests are absolutely understandable,” explained the deputy leader of the Union parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Andrea Lindholz (CSU), from Düsseldorf Rhenish Post. The traffic light government wants to continue to close budget gaps at the expense of local agriculture.
Union parliamentary group vice-president Steffen Bilger (CDU) accused the federal government of making a “rotten compromise” because the abolition of the agricultural diesel subsidy was still planned. Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) “should work to ensure that farmers have good conditions to produce regional, high-quality food. “For this they need funding for agricultural diesel,” Bilger told the Rhenish Post. (bb/dpa/AFP)
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