German agricultural leader calls for sweeping bureaucracy cuts ahead of Berlin conference
Ahead of the upcoming German Farmers’ Day in Berlin, the head of the German Farmers’ Association, Joachim Rukwied, has called on the Federal Minister of Agriculture, Alois Rainer, to implement a comprehensive reduction in bureaucracy. According to Rukwied, who spoke to the Rheinische Post, the necessary courage is required to simply strike out entire laws and say, “We don’t need to regulate or oversee everything in such detail.”
Rukwied emphasized that if Minister Rainer were to adopt the approximately 190 proposals from the federal states for de-bureaucratization and genuinely bring about the abolition of impractical regulations, it would greatly benefit German farmers. The coalition agreement does not set any limits for him in this regard.
What is crucial, Rukwied stressed, is for businesses to become competitive again. Moreover, one can rely on the fact that farmers, in accordance with good professional practice, will handle the land, the environment and animals responsibly.