Linke on agriculture

The Left wants to curb the market power of slaughterhouse, dairy and retail corporations and build up regional processing and marketing. Minimum producer prices, tougher antitrust law and a farm structure law against land speculation are meant to secure farmers a decent income.

Farmers often earn too little. Big companies have a lot of power. The Left wants minimum prices for farmers. Farmland should not go to investors. More food should come from the region.

Monopolies would be broken up, and price monitors would be able to step in. Collective agreements would apply across farming, forestry and fishing, with minimum wage and social insurance for seasonal workers too. The farm structure law would strengthen communal and public land ownership. Domestic standards would be shielded from cheap imports; the party is critical of free trade agreements and calls for clear origin labeling and state regional labels. Subsidy applications would be simplified and digitized EU-wide.

The Left wants to cut pesticide use at least in half by 2030 and ban glyphosate and neonicotinoids. Genetically modified crops should not be grown, and patents on life would be prohibited.

Farmers should use far fewer pesticides. Some, like glyphosate, should be banned. Plants with altered genes should not be grown. No one should get a patent on living things.

New genetic engineering methods such as gene editing would be controlled as strictly as older methods. The party demands transparency and strict rules for approving pesticides. A pesticide reduction strategy and alternatives to conventional fertilizers are meant to help farms with the ecological transition.

The Left wants to link the number of farm animals to a farm's land area and thereby reduce livestock numbers in Germany. The transition should be socially fair and serve animal welfare, climate and environment; less over-fertilization is meant to relieve water bodies.

A farm should keep only as many animals as its land can support. Then Germany has fewer farm animals. Animals should live better. Long animal transports should be banned. Very large meat plants should close.

The platform sets a cap of 1.5 livestock units per hectare. High minimum standards would apply to all species, and the federal government would give more support for converting barns for animal welfare. Live animals would be transported for no more than four hours; slaughter would be decentralized and without piece-rate pay. More frequent unannounced inspections and tougher penalties for animal welfare violations are planned. The party wants to shut down large meat plants.

The Left wants to ensure healthy, affordable food for all. Staple foods and plant-based substitutes would be exempt from VAT, with checks to make sure shoppers get the savings. Also planned are a state label, advertising bans for unhealthy food, and decriminalizing dumpster diving.

Basic foods should be sold without VAT. That makes food cheaper. A state label should show how good a food product is. Ads for unhealthy food should be banned. Taking food from store trash bins should no longer be a crime.

Plant-based alternatives to meat and dairy would count as staple foods. The uniform label would cover climate, environment, animal welfare, health and social aspects; results of more frequent food inspections would go online, and for serious violations on the store door as well. The ad ban targets children and teenagers above all, and sugar in soft drinks would be capped. Public institutions would buy regional and eco-friendly food with state subsidies. Wasting food and speculating on food would be banned.