Freie Wähler on agriculture

The Free Voters want farmland treated as an equally protected asset and want to prevent obligations to set land aside. When farmland is sold, owner-run farms would get priority, and the party opposes speculation with capital from outside agriculture.

Fields and meadows should be there for food. The Free Voters want to protect them better. Farmers should not be forced to leave land unused. When farmland is sold, farmers should get the first chance to buy.

Where farmland competes with infrastructure, housing, industry or renewable energy, it would count as a protected asset for food supply. Newly built-up land would no longer be offset with agricultural land. For energy expansion, the party wants to scrap offset duties and support dual-use projects such as agri-PV. A nationwide rule would give the right of first refusal to agriculture alone; environmental groups, industry and other non-farm institutions would get none.

The Free Voters want to allow fertilizing according to what plants need, including in so-called red zones with fertilizer restrictions. They reject a blanket EU ban on pesticides in sensitive areas.

In some areas farmers may use only a little fertilizer. These are called red zones. The Free Voters want to allow more fertilizer there when plants need it. The party rejects a general ban on pesticides in sensitive areas.

The platform considers the designation of red zones based on monitoring sites that are often far away to be technically wrong and partly arbitrary. Instead, nutrient balances of the individual farm should be decisive. Laws on fertilizers and pesticides should be checked in advance for whether they can work in practice. Pesticide bans should be set in area-specific regulations according to local conditions. In the party's view, the selection of sensitive areas must not put German producers at a competitive disadvantage.

The Free Voters want imported farm products to meet the same standards as domestic ones. Competitive disadvantages against imports would continue to be offset through EU direct payments.

Germany has strict rules for farmers. The Free Voters want food from abroad to meet these rules too. Farmers should keep getting money from the EU to make up for disadvantages. No rainforest should be destroyed for imports.

The platform warns that cheap imports push production abroad and make the food supply dependent. Agriculture should not lose out under EU free trade agreements. If import restrictions are not enough, lowering German standards the party considers excessive should also be examined case by case after an impact assessment. Compensation would run through the first pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy, and environmental services would be paid appropriately. Free trade should not come at the expense of water reserves, climate, biodiversity and rainforest; the party backs domestic raw materials instead.

The Free Voters want to reduce administrative and record-keeping duties for farms and to merge inspections. The uniform European rules should be the benchmark, and the states should use regional leeway when implementing them.

Farmers have to fill out many forms and are inspected often. The Free Voters want to reduce this. Germany should not make stricter rules than the EU. The states should be able to adapt rules to their region.

According to the platform, the requirements put heavy strain on farms and speed up farm closures. Inspections under German and European law covering the same area would be merged and reduced overall. Inspectors should have practical experience, and digital monitoring should replace other checks rather than add to them. National requirements under EU farm policy would be handed to the state level. The party wants to keep compensation payments for disadvantaged areas.

The Free Voters want to exempt agricultural diesel from tax and allow farms to be handed over without inheritance tax. A tax-privileged risk reserve would cushion income losses from natural and climate risks.

Farmers should pay less tax. Diesel for tractors should be tax-free. Anyone who inherits a farm should pay no tax on it. Farmers should be able to save money tax-free for bad years.

In the party's view, inheritance tax endangers farms when they pass to the next generation. Converting land for renewable energy would also be free of gift tax. The flat-rate VAT scheme under Section 24 of the VAT Act would be adjusted to real conditions and made EU-compliant, and exceptions for primary production would be dropped. The risk reserve would mirror the investment deduction available to small and mid-sized businesses. For depreciation, especially in livestock farming, the platform demands protection of existing arrangements until the end of the term.

The Free Voters want to make agriculture more resilient through new breeding lines, practice-oriented research and digital technology. They reject patents on plants and animals and want to promote training in the agricultural professions.

The Free Voters want to support new plant varieties that cope better with the weather. Farmers should get good internet and free satellite data. There should be no patents on plants and animals. More young people should train for a job in farming.

Findings from agricultural research are to be shared closely with working farmers. In breeding, the party puts a focus on oil and protein crops. For digitalization it calls for 5G or at least LTE mobile coverage and fiber-optic connections even in remote places. In smart farming, data should belong to the users, and interfaces should be uniform across manufacturers. In addition, there should be enough veterinarians and meat inspectors, and dialogue with consumers should be stepped up.

The Free Voters want to secure livestock farming in Germany and provide financial support for investments in better husbandry conditions. They reject rules that push the production of animal-based food abroad. They also want to allow more organic fertilizer on grassland again.

The Free Voters want farmers in Germany to keep animals. Farmers should get money when they improve their barns for animals. Livestock farming should not move to other countries. More manure should be allowed on meadows.

The platform calls for investment support for higher husbandry standards, fair producer prices, and long-term planning certainty for farms. It says better animal welfare must not rule out the economic success of family farms. The exemption from the cap of 170 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare should return, allowing up to 250 kilograms from farm manure on permanent grassland and forage crops. The party rejects rules that would shift livestock farming to countries with lower standards. It also wants to act against barn break-ins, recordings made without the farmer's consent, and sabotage.

The Free Voters want to improve farmers' position against food retailers and stop certain trading practices. According to the platform, four large corporations use their market power to push down purchase prices. Direct sales and regional processing should also be supported.

Four big companies sell most of the food in Germany. The Free Voters say these companies pay farmers too little. The party wants to ban unfair deals. Farmers should be able to sell their goods themselves more easily.

The platform names as unfair: payment only after the goods have been resold, fees for shelf space, and forcing suppliers to take back unsold fresh goods. Retailers should ensure supply security and regional products through long-term partnerships with domestic producers. Direct sales, on-farm slaughter, and on-farm processing would receive support. The party demands uniform EU standards without extra German rules, such as exempting direct sales from the packaging directive.

The Free Voters want to preserve commercial fishing on the coast and inland waters and provide targeted support for pond farming. They reject bans on angling. The platform sees fishing and angling as part of culture and tradition.

The Free Voters want to keep the job of fishers alive. Fish ponds should get funding. Anglers should be allowed to fish in many waters. The party rejects bans for anglers.

Protected fish predators such as otters and cormorants should be actively managed. The party wants to promote sustainable fishing and the expansion of aquaculture. Fishing with weighted bottom trawl nets in German waters should end in the short term. Anglers should be allowed to fish in the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and as many waters as possible, and should not be treated worse than commercial fishers.

The Free Voters want less food to be thrown away. Best-before dates should count only as a recommendation, free-food shelves should be promoted, and effective crop protection products approved.

The Free Voters want less food to end up in the trash. The best-before date should only be a recommendation. There should be shelves with free food. Products against pests should be allowed.

The platform notes that more than half of the waste occurs in households. A note on the package saying the product is often good for longer could help. Expired goods should be placed on free shelves, where food-rescue groups can pick them up. The next federal government should step up talks with retail chains on this. Proven crop protection agents should be reviewed and approved so that less of the harvest spoils in the field and in storage.