“A country of strong rural areas”

Minister Özdemir, the world knows Germany as leader in industrial innovation. What is the role of agriculture here?

We mustn’t forget about the poets and the thinkers! Of course, Germany is also a country of strong rural areas and hardworking farmers. The thousands of occupations in this area – many of which are family-owned and run – shape our beautiful landscape. They put food on our table every day: corn for our bread, potatoes (which we love in Germany) and of course excellent sausages and much more. But there’s much more to agriculture than that. The agricultural industry protects and nurtures our natural heritage, such as the meadows in the foothills of the Alps. Our farmers are fully committed to their role in making Germany climate neutral, by using renewable fuels and biogas facilities. Once again we see the links to innovation and industry: they are two sides of the same coin in Germany.

How do environmentalism and agriculture fit together in Germany?

Species diversity, fertile and healthy soil, clean water are the foundation of our farming sector. If we want to continue bringing in rich harvests in 20, 30 or 50 years, we need to make sure that foundation stays in good shape. At the same time, agriculture is a refuge for species diversity. Just think about the rich variety of species in our alpine meadows and pastures. We want to retain these, which is why we are providing dedicated support to these types of husbandry. Just one element of this is our Organic Strategy, which aims for 30% of Germany’s agricultural land to be usable for organic farming by 2030. The entire agricultural sector can benefit from this objective, as innovation is one of its key features. Numerous developments in the organic sector have found wide range of applications beyond organic farming. Another thing I’m excited about is what’s known as “regenerative agriculture”, which strives to maintain natural resources, roughly in the middle between conventional and organic farming.

Animal welfare and agriculture are major issues, but are they not automatically opposites?

This is of course another area where they are two sides of the same coin. Firstly, it reflects rising demand from consumers continues. That is why we have now introduced an animal welfare mark so everyone can see how the animal was kept when they buy meat. We started out with pig farming and we are now expanding it to areas such as gastronomy. Another point is that it is obviously in farmers’ interests for their animals to be healthy. To back this up, we have included clear guidelines in our new animal welfare legislation on areas such as pig husbandry, which now only allows for curly tails to be docked (i.e. amputated) in exceptional circumstances. So healthy pigs mean happy people!

You are in charge of the Ministry for Agriculture and Food. What are your tasks and objectives when it comes to the topic of food?

I want to make it easier for everyone to have good food everyday. Children and young people are a key focus for us, as we want everyone in this country to have the chance to grow up healthy. Sadly, this is a social issue at times. I know what I’m talking about here. My parents came to Germany as “Gastarbeiter”, and had to put in long hours of hard work. I was usually left on my own after school. I would be given about 1 mark 60 pfennigs for my lunch, which would stretch to a Rote Wurst sausage and chips. I lived off that for years. Alas, there are still children and young people today who are living through what I experienced. That is why we are prioritising meals in kindergartens and schools. I want every child to have at least one good, healthy, tasty meal every day, made with local seasonal ingredients – and organic as well, if possible.