Bavaria’s Minister of Agriculture, Michaela kaniber, has publicly welcomed Federal Minister Alois Rainer‘s decision to terminate early the federal programs designed to convert pig farming operations. The move also includes a return of investment promotion funds to the Gemeinschaftsaufgabe für die Agrarstruktur und den Küstenschutz (GAK),or Joint task for Agricultural Structure and Coastal Protection.

“The federal program, enforced by Özdemir against the will of many states, was flawed from the outset. Demand fell far short of the federal government’s expectations,” stated Minister Kaniber.

Kaniber emphasized that the GAK framework provides states wiht greater flexibility to address the unique operational structures within their regions, operating within a national support system. She underscored that the constitutional responsibility for agricultural structure promotion rests with the individual federal states.

“Federal Minister Alois Rainer is now rectifying an error made by the previous coalition government and Cem Özdemir. I have consistently advocated for this change, and it aligns with the approach of the new Federal Agriculture minister,” Kaniber added.

However, Kaniber also expects the federal government to transfer existing funds from the terminated federal programs to the GAK, making them accessible to the states. Further discussions on the implementation process are scheduled for the Agricultural Ministers’ Conference in Heidelberg at the end of September.

A key implication of Rainer’s decision,according to Kaniber,is the need to postpone revisions to the animal husbandry identification law currently before the Bundestag. this law served as a foundational element for the now-defunct federal funding program and must be aligned with the new GAK approach.