Manure law and tethering stable challenge German fancier

Dairy farmers in Germany operate in a field of tension. On the one hand they have to do with society, but on the other hand they are food producers. Anton Kreitmar, part of the Bavarian Parliament and Bavarian Farmers' Union, states that the sector is responsible for the food supply, energy revolution and management of the cultural landscape. 

According to him, the new manure legislation is putting the sector to the test. It's about the 'düngenverordnung' from 2017, which states (in short): own manure first. It also discourages imports, but there is more. "For example, manure may not be spread for a longer period of time. The use and content of manure must also be monitored more strictly. In addition, in order to apply manure to the land in the future, many farmers will have to invest tens of thousands of euros. A major challenge for Bavarian companies, which are generally small in size," says Kreitmar.

Alternative to the manure law
He states that the limit of 170 kilos of nitrogen per year is a problem in keeping the cycle going. "Everything also has to be documented, which means more time behind the desk." The Farmers' Union has collected more than 26.000 signatures and sent it to the Bavarian Minister of Agriculture handed over. This is accompanied by a solution that safeguards water quality, but that farmers can also work with. The fact is that the agricultural sector is no longer the deciding factor. "New measurements show that most phosphate comes from water treatment."

Not only does this play a role, because the role of group and tie-up stables is also discussed. About half of the 30.000 dairy farmers in Bavaria use this type of stable. "Approximately 30% of the cows are in a group and/or tie-up stable. If this stable is no longer allowed to be used, the future of every second dairy farmer in Bavaria will be in jeopardy. We are against a ban, but we are working on opportunities to improve the stable."

Organic sector and wolves
A new topic is the wolf. Without natural enemies, the population grows by 30% per year. For the mountain region, it means that a choice has to be made: allow grazing or become a wolf reserve. In any case, it doesn't go together. Sheep and cows are attacked by wolves almost every day.

Another challenge is the organic sector, because products are still supplied from elsewhere. While organic dairy farmers produce more than buyers need. "In my experience, organic means a short distance and local companies should meet the demand."

The market leader is Aldi. "What needs to change is that more and more is being demanded from dairy farmers and the product is improving, but the milk price has been relatively stable for 40 years."