The draft for the 2023 federal budget, which the federal cabinet approved last Friday, provides for significant cuts in the joint task “Improvement and Agricultural Structure” (GAK). According to this, the funds for the previous core GAK without the special framework plans are to be reduced by €195 million to €529 million next year. From the “animal welfare billion” €150 million is earmarked for 2023 in the GAK to promote investments in barn constructions. However, the draft budget does not contain any further funds for the restructuring of animal husbandry.
The numbers were met with sharp criticism from the German Farmers’ Association (DBV). The deputy DBV general secretary Udo Hemmerling spoke of a “financial cutback at the expense of the agricultural structure and rural areas” which was completely unacceptable. Hemmerling pointed out that the additional funds made available for animal welfare would in fact be canceled elsewhere in the joint task. “However, animal welfare as an additional task requires additional money,” emphasized the Deputy Secretary General. The federal government is not planning any increase in agricultural accident insurance (LUV). The reduction in federal funds to €100 million, which took effect this year, is also to remain so in 2023.
The GAK special framework plan for the promotion of rural development is to be reduced by €30 million. For this purpose, the special framework plan for insect protection/organic farming will be increased by €25 million to €175 million. According to the draft, shifts are planned in the areas of sustainability, research and innovation. Among other things, the promotion of innovation, the arable farming strategy and the federal program for livestock farming should have to make do with less money. In contrast, the budget for the federal program for organic farming will be increased by €3.4 million to €35.9 million. €8 million has been set aside for animal husbandry labelling. The individual plan 10 recorded a significant increase in expenditure on old-age security for farmers (AdL) and on health insurance. The increased need for funds in these areas is the main reason why the total expenditure in the agricultural budget has risen by a good €70 million to around €7.176 billion compared to this year. AGE
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