Grüne on agriculture

The Greens want to expand organic farming in North Rhine-Westphalia from just under 7 to 30 percent by 2030 and reduce livestock numbers in the medium term. Their model is ecological, small-scale farming without genetic engineering or synthetic chemical pesticides.

The Greens want more organic farming. By 2030, 30 percent of farmland should be organic. Today it is just under 7 percent. There should be fewer farm animals. Farmers should get help to switch.

The platform wants targeted support for nature-friendly, resource-saving farms so they can plan and invest with confidence. In the party's view, industrial intensive livestock farming has no future; the number of farm animals should fall to a level the environment and the animals can bear. Together with the federal government, EU rules on nitrogen from fertilizers are to be implemented to protect drinking water and soil. Agricultural research is to focus more on nature-friendly methods such as diverse crop rotations and agroforestry.

The Greens want to halve pesticide use in North Rhine-Westphalia in the short term and eventually end farming's reliance on synthetic chemical products. The platform cites harm to biodiversity and human health.

The Greens want fewer pesticides on fields. The amount should quickly drop by half. Those who use pesticides should pay a levy. Farmers would get money and advice to switch.

A binding program would cut the amount in half; products and mixtures especially harmful to biodiversity would no longer be used at all. A statewide pesticide database would steer the phase-out and make it transparent. Extra costs for farms would be offset through subsidies, compensation and advice, for example on using beneficial insects. A polluter-pays pesticide levy, preferably at the federal level, would fund the transition and the restoration of nature.

The Greens want to steer public farm money toward farms that protect nature and animals, and to give targeted support to small farms. According to the platform, most subsidies currently go to the largest operations.

The Greens want to share out farm money differently. Farms that protect nature and animals should get more. Small farms should get special help. They should not have to give up.

The state would use all its leeway so that EU, federal and state funds reach farms that deliver nature and animal protection. A dedicated state program would fund barn construction by small and mid-sized farms for more animal-friendly housing, since existing programs are said to set the bar too high for them. Advice for family farms, such as on regional marketing, producer groups or community-supported agriculture, would be expanded to ease generational handover. Red tape would be cut. The party wants to crack down on exploitation in farming and processing and supports stricter workplace safety rules at federal and EU level.

The Greens want to set up centers for artisanal food processing in every county and large city and help cafeterias switch to organic and regional products. Reliable buyers are meant to give farmers planning certainty.

The Greens want more food from the region. Every area should get a center for small-scale food processing. Cafeterias should offer more organic food. They would get funding for this.

What each center does would be decided locally with municipalities and businesses, from a small slaughterhouse to a regional distribution point. A program would support at least 300 cafeterias in companies, hospitals, public agencies, daycare centers and schools so they buy at least 30 percent organic and as much regional produce as possible. Expansion of school cafeterias would also be funded. Meat-free and vegan meals are to be offered daily, and regional organic meat is to get more support.

The Greens want to require retailers and producers to pass on food that is still edible and to decriminalize so-called dumpster diving. The platform points to 12 million tons of edible food thrown away in Germany each year.

A lot of good food is thrown away in Germany. The Greens want to change that. Stores and producers should have to give away edible food. People who take food from store trash bins should not be punished.

Together with the federal government, projects against food waste would be expanded. Retailers and producers would be obliged to pass on food that can still be eaten. Dumpster diving, meaning taking discarded food out of waste containers, would no longer be a criminal offense.

The Greens want to create a nonprofit land agency in North Rhine-Westphalia that holds land and allocates it according to public-interest criteria. This is meant to steer the use of undeveloped land for conservation, farming and forestry.

The Greens want to found a land agency. It should buy land and pass it on. The land should serve nature, farmers and forests. An independent body should oversee this.

The platform notes that other German states have long had such agencies. The agency would provide land for purposes such as restoring rivers, supporting farms and ecological forestry. A law would define which public-interest criteria apply when land is allocated. An independent, cross-disciplinary body would provide oversight.