If the federal government legalizes cannabis, hemp fields could soon spread across Germany. Farmers are also in the starting blocks when it comes to ingredients for veggie burgers. For meat companies, on the other hand, the situation is dramatic, explains Farmer President Rukwied.
Farmers are preparing to grow cannabis in Germany as soon as possible. „Some are already reading up on what needs to be considered when growing crops,“ said farmer president Joachim Rukwied to the „Tagesspiegel“. „It’s a hip culture. Our farmers are quite open about it and are thinking about getting involved.“ As soon as the legal legitimacy is in place and the farmers have the seed, they could get started quickly. „We farmers are innovative, we get that implemented immediately,“ emphasized Rukwied.
The farmers also want to benefit from the trend towards vegan and vegetarian nutrition. „There are quite a few farms that are already growing peas or soy for veggie burgers or that are growing chickpeas,“ said Rukwied. „We need breeds that are adapted to our climate. I am sure that the market will continue to grow.“ In addition to soy and chickpeas, Rukwied also sees opportunities in linseed to produce oils and in lentils. Lentils from the Swabian Alp, „it’s booming,“ said the President of the German Farmers‘ Association.
Structural break in animal owners
Rukwied also commented on the campaign against cheap meat by Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir. „Animal husbandry in Germany has been declining for years, and this trend is now increasing. 4.4 percent of cattle and dairy farmers gave up last year, that’s no longer structural change, that’s already a structural break,“ said the farmers‘ president of the newspaper . The situation is even more dramatic for pig farmers: 7.8 percent of the farms have broken up here.
It is good that Özdemir is committed to higher meat prices, Rukwied continued. „Livestock owners are willing to do more for animal welfare. But consumers also have to reward that. In order for this to work, we need mandatory labeling of origin and husbandry.“ However, the farmers‘ president pointed to an unsolved problem: „The question is still how to deal with imported goods. It would be fatal if German goods were left lying around and cheap imported goods were on the shelves.“