German minister warns against ‘culture war’ on food, climate policy

Germany’s Green Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir has warned against polarising debates around agriculture and climate policy while criticising attempts to torpedo green legislation at the EU level.

Speaking at the yearly Farmers’ Day event organised by the German Farmers’ Association (DBV), Özdemir stressed the importance of constructive and respectful exchange with those holding different opinions.

“At the moment, I have the impression that every disagreement that would, in itself, be resolvable by just sitting down together, listening, and talking to each other, has the potential to be jazzed up to a culture war,” he said. “I warn against this polarisation.”

Particularly when it comes to sensitive topics like the future of livestock farming or the EU’s plans for reducing pesticide use, the interests of everyone involved must be carefully weighed, the Green minister stressed.

“Let us make sure that, wherever possible, we do not decide with a 51% majority against the other 49%,” he added.

Climate protection “not up for discussion”

Özdemir’s comments come amid heightened controversy around key elements of the European Commission’s Green Deal and its agriculture and food branch, the Farm to Fork Strategy.

After declaring itself the “farmers’ party” ahead of the upcoming EU elections, the centre-right EPP has spearheaded a campaign against climate and environmental legislation like the Commission’s proposed Nature Restoration Law or pesticides regulation (SUR).

Against this backdrop, Özdemir stressed that while concrete details of such projects can always be discussed, the overall goal of climate and environmental protection cannot be up for discussion – especially since farmers are affected by climate change.

“When I see how some in Brussels are sawing away at measures to protect our environment and our natural resources, we are not talking about details anymore, we are talking about fundamental questions,” he added.

Dietary drama

Özdemir also pointed to an increased polarisation of the public debate within Germany regarding topics like livestock farming or dietary policy.

Most recently, false information spread online claimed the minister wanted to outlaw meat consumption, a claim he said was completely unfounded.

“As Agriculture Minister of this country, I say: every citizen of this country can eat as much meat as they want to!” he stressed.

Since Özdemir came into office with the promise of focusing on healthier and more climate-friendly diets, the minister’s attempts at working towards this goal have frequently stoked controversy as many accused him of dictating Germans’ dietary choices.

At the same time, the Green minister also has to try and bridge the gap between farmers’ interests and his party’s expectations regarding climate action and explosive topics like new genomic techniques (NGTs).

Against this backdrop, Özdemir’s plea to de-politicise the debate on agriculture and food topics can also be understood as an attempt to make this tightrope walkable: If agriculture and sustainability are pitted against each other and portrayed as fundamentally at odds, there is no room to find a compromise between farmers and Greens.

cover photo:Özdemir’s comments come amid heightened controversy around key elements of the European Commission’s Green Deal and its agriculture and food branch, the Farm to Fork Strategy. [EPA-EFE/Filip Singer]