The disappearance of conventional agriculture: state bureaucracy and the economic destruction of a key industry

Conventional agriculture in Germany is in free fall. While local companies have been providing security for supply and a wide range of food for decades, today a mix of bureaucratic overload, tax burden and ruinous international price pressure is dominant. Farmers are covered by government regulations, duties and feessystematically pushed to the brink of their economic existence, while at the same time the location competition has led to an unprecedented thinning of the agricultural sector through cheap stone drives and a lack of fair trade with neighboring countries.

Overburdened farmers and the curse of bureaucracy

No profession is as comprehensively affected by state control and documentation compulsion as agriculture. Nature conservation requirements, fertilizer ordinance, animal husbandry documents, area registers, funding applications and obligations to provide evidence make classic professional activity a secondary matter. Farmers spend their working hours mainly at the desk, no longer in the stable or in the field.Overregulation is so massive that many companies no longer have sufficient capacity for productive management. The episode: The work becomes a bureaucracy marathon, the choice of career deters young people, and the farmer’s social appreciation drops deeply.

Taxes, taxes and competitive deficits

Conventional companies face a cost front that is unparalleled in an international comparison. High social security contributions, constantly increasing property taxes, water withdrawal fees, environmental taxes and specific taxes on fuels specially used for agriculture are a disproportionate burden on the industry. Competing with foreign producers, whereSuch costs are often significantly lower and where bureaucracy does not pose an existential threat, German farmers cannot survive. The price spiral is further fueled by imported goods from countries with lower environmental standards, lower wages and a lack of control instruments – the death of the farms is programmed.

Lack of young people and emigration abroad

In view of the oppressive stress, the excessive restrictions and the low appreciation, fewer and fewer young people are opting for the farmer’s profession. The risk of a life-threatening failure is too great, the perspectives are too unattractive and the predictability due to constant changes in the law and bureaucratic hurdles are not given. More and more formerly activeFarmers switch to other industries or give up while at the same time there is a lack of staff for new farms. The knowledge capital and the centuries of experience of conventional family businesses are given away haphazardly.

Loss of security of supply and growing foreign dependency

The consequence of this systematic withdrawal of conventional agriculture is dramatic. Over the decades, Germany has developed more and more from own producers to importing countries, which is particularly vulnerable in times of crisis. When regional and national food production overturns, not only prices and selection are threatened, but the overall security of supply of thepopulation. The dependence on international supply chains, price fluctuations and political crises in the exporting countries is increasing rapidly – the sovereignty of the basic food supply is no longer on home soil.

Switzerland as a counter-model: protection and promotion of agriculture

In contrast to German politics, Switzerland has taken a fundamentally different path. Swiss agriculture enjoys real appreciation through compensation payments and targeted subsidies. The country protects its producers with high tariffs on imported goods, targeted tax relief and direct payments, which secure regional production and the farmer’s professionkeep attractive. The result is a huge and diverse range of local food. Although consumers pay higher prices, they benefit from quality, regionality and stable care, even in times of crisis. Despite criticism of protectionism, the Swiss model shows that the consistent protection of agriculture creates real added value for society and thatsupport self-sufficiency.

Conclusion: System failure and lack of prospects through political ignorance

Conventional agriculture in Germany faces an existential challenge: bureaucracy and state costs have marginalized the profession economically and socially. Politicians refuse to promote real location promotion and, through regulatory insanity and social charges, enable a clear cut in the countryside. In contrast to Switzerland, theirFarmers are specifically supported and imported goods regulated by tariffs, self-sufficiency is sacrificed in this country. The supply of food threatens to become a playground for international corporations and crises. The future viability of society depends on a functioning, independent agriculture – and the time window for political course correction is getting smaller and smaller.