Hot January because of agricultural diesel
Farmers want to accept the traffic light’s “declaration of war”.
December 18, 2023, 1:48 p.m
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If the planned abolition of tax advantages remains, farmers want to demonstrate – “in a way that the country has never experienced before.” In Berlin they are already rehearsing the uprising.
More than 1,000 farmers from all over Germany demonstrated in Berlin against the planned cuts in agricultural subsidies and loudly booed Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir. Farmers’ President Joachim Rukwied sharply criticized the abolition of tax breaks planned by the traffic light coalition: “We will not accept it,” he said at a rally in Berlin. This is “a declaration of war” and one accepts it. If the federal government does not withdraw the unreasonable proposals, farmers would stage further protests to ensure that there would be “a very hot January”.
“Then from January 8th we will be present everywhere in a way that the country has never experienced before.” Rukwied said that with the abolition of the regulations on agricultural diesel and the vehicle tax exemption for agricultural vehicles, the industry would be burdened with an additional billion euros per year. “It’s enough, too much is too much,” shouted the farmers’ president at the demonstration at the Brandenburg Gate, to which a number of tractors also rolled into the capital.
Rukwied called on Özdemir to now put pressure on the government for farmers and rural areas. The farmers’ association nationwide also called for the demonstration through its state farmers’ associations. So far, farms have been able to get a partial refund of the energy tax for diesel. The remuneration is 21.48 cents per liter – the tax rate for agricultural diesel is then 25.56 cents per liter compared to the full tax rate of 47.04 cents. In addition, agricultural and forestry vehicles are exempt from vehicle tax.
Özdemir: You can’t just convert heavy machines
Around 3,000 people were registered with the police for the rally. Several hundred tractors were also expected to arrive at the protest. In the morning, the first vehicles began to gather on the Straße des 17. Juni near the Brandenburg Gate.
Özdemir reiterated his criticism of the traffic light decisions. “I’m fighting in the cabinet to ensure that this doesn’t become too difficult,” he said. In any case, “existential fears” were spreading in the industry. Özdemir was repeatedly interrupted by loud whistles, boos and cowbells from the demonstrators, who repeatedly called for new elections. In the ARD “Morgenmagazin” Özdemir said that there were no alternatives for farmers when it came to agricultural diesel. “We’re talking about heavy machines that can’t simply be converted to electric.” He made alternative savings suggestions to Finance Minister Christian Lindner.
Farm profits increased
The environmental organization Greenpeace said that the abolition of the subsidy for agricultural diesel was bearable given record-breaking agricultural and food prices and many other agricultural subsidies. “With all understanding for the farmers – making agricultural diesel cheaper by the state is expensive, harmful to the climate and should be abolished,” said Greenpeace agricultural expert Martin Hofstetter. Contrary to what the farmers’ association claims, the end of diesel subsidies will not result in massive farm deaths.
According to industry information, the profitability of agriculture had recently improved. In the 2022/23 financial year that ended at the end of June, the average profit of the companies rose to a record level of 115,400 euros – an increase of 45 percent compared to the previous year. In view of falling prices for grain, oilseeds and milk, the farmers’ association had already expressed pessimism about further business prospects before the traffic light plans were announced.