Under a possibly union-led government, the Union’s agricultural policy spokesperson, Albert Stegemann, announced that the full scrapping of agricultural diesel subsidies will fall away for the farming industry.
“We want to reintroduce the diesel refund in the first 100 days of a new government,” Stegemann told Ippen-Media. “The abolition of agricultural diesel refunds burdens farmers with approximately €440 million per year. We need to counterbalance this.”
Farmers should feel politically supported, he added, citing the diesel refund as an example of this. The agricultural policy of the Union will also focus on other aspects of relief, such as reducing bureaucracy, implementing the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and resulting payments, as well as animal husbandry. “This must be cofinanced from the budget and depends on our coalition partner,” Stegemann said. “We need an investment boost, so that investing again becomes enjoyable.”
Last year, the abolition of agricultural diesel subsidies sparked widespread farmer protests across the country. As a result, the German government did make some concessions, but in principle, it did not abolish the subsidies. The Union now wants to change this. The corresponding election program is almost complete and will be presented on December 17.