The big demo against the agriculture industry that took place during the International Green Week in Berlin has become a regular event. For the sixth time, over 100 organisations from agriculture, beekeeping, nature conservation, animal welfare, consumer protection, development aid and the artisan food segment called for a demonstration. Around 23,000 people responded and, on Saturday 16 January 2016 under the motto “Farms instead of industrial agriculture – no future without farmers“, they demanded an organic turnaround in agriculture. Other issues were food security and the free trade agreements TTIP and CETA. The 130 tractors – 40 more than last year – were an impressive sight. Our video will give you a good impression of the demo.

Georg Janßen from the Arbeitsgemeinschaft bäuerliche Landwirtschaft (AbL) – a group supporting traditional agriculture – who every year registers the demo and helps with its organisation, thanked everyone taking part for their solidarity with farmers and consumers. He listed what has been achieved or prevented from happening thanks to people promoting or opposing particular issues. “What we’ve achieved: there’s no genetic engineering on our farms – instead we’ve got indigenous plants. Serious discussion is tasking place on the availability of land for farmers wanting to convert to organic. A number of animal factories have not been built.” The latest overwhelming success – a petition containing 103,000 signatures opposing factory farming in Brandenburg – is a powerful signal.

People are greatly concerned by animal welfare

“The welfare of animals kept in stalls and the protection of the environment round stalls is of great concern for an incredible number of people,” says Thomas Schröder, President of the Deutsche Tierschutzbund (Germany’s society for the protection of animals), on the periphery of the demo. The association, that is also a founding member of the “Wir haben es satt” (We´ve had enough) movement, mobilised about 1000 members. Changing values in society regarding the issue of animal welfare is very noticeable and they must now be reflected in law. In Schröder’s view, the animal welfare initiative of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture is welcome, but it’s still too little. He said that “Wir haben es satt“ and the demo opposing TTIP with 250,000 participants in the autumn of 2015 had the same goals, so we can describe them both as one big movement that is now located in the centre of society. “I’m sure that animal welfare, protection of the environment and nature conservation will continue to be a major concern in Germany.“

Secretary of State: “I’m by your side“

For the first time, there was an official welcome by the Berlin Senate. Sabine Toepfer-Kataw (CDU), Berlin Secretary of State for Justice and Consumer Protection gave a committed speech: she thanked the farmers and consumers for going onto the streets to demonstrate for a different kind of agriculture. She said politicians were beginning to react, which could also be seen in the invitation extended by the federal Minister of Agriculture to the organisers of the demo. The movement already had many consumers on its side, and the demo was making more of them aware of the issues. Toepfer-Kataw argued for making it even clearer to consumers that quality comes at a cost: “With every decision at the checkout we’re also making a decision about the living conditions of everyone else in the world – that’s the change in thinking we’d like to achieve.“ She said you don’t do it with banning things but by rational discussion and logical arguments. She had learned that there are alternatives. “You’ve convinced me, I’m by your side,” she declared.