Farmers across Germany gathered in Berlin on Monday to protest planned cuts to tax breaks for diesel used for agriculture.
The cuts to agricultural diesel and agricultural vehicle exemptions are part of an agreement reached by the government to attempt a stopgap in the country’s budget. The three-party coalition agreed on measures to reduce the 17 billion-euro hole in next year’s budget.
Their solution? Reducing climate-damaging subsidies, some ministry spending, and other measures.
So, is this cut about meeting the budget, or is it about climate change? It’s a little unclear.
After Germany’s highest court annulled a decision to repurpose 60 billion euros meant to address the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic for measures to help combat climate change and modernize the country, the measures were passed.
Farmers are not impressed. And, much like in the Netherlands, when the government announced plans to cut the number of livestock in the country, farmers took to the streets to protest.
At the Brandenburg Gate, farmers held signs reading, “Your politics are a declaration of war against farmers!” and “Too much is too much! It’s over now!” parking tractors along Berlin’s Strass des 17. Juni boulevard.
According to Reuters, the German Farmers’ Association (DBV) and Land Schafft Verbindung (LSV) threaten to organize a larger, country-wide demonstration.
Germany’s agricultural minister, Cem Özdemir, has also sided with the farmers, saying they have no alternative but to use diesel. Farmers aren’t ready to switch to electricity, and it’s estimated that the agricultural sector could lose one billion euros.
“The consequence is not just for us, but for all consumers,” Benny Hecht, a German pig farmer, told Euronews. “Food is becoming more expensive.”
Environmental groups are unsurprisingly supportive of the canceled subsidies.
“With all understanding for the farmers — making agricultural diesel cheaper by the state is expensive, harmful to the climate, and should be abolished,” Greenpeace agricultural expert Martin Hofstetter said in a statement on Monday.
»Related: New Dutch emission rules hamstring farmers & threaten food security