The fact that German farmers reported a good income for the past two agricultural years 2022-23 is not, as the narrative in many mainstream media goes, a sign that farms are in a good position, and therefore have no real reason to protest with tractorcades. Farmers point out that the relatively good income has just compensated five years before of very bad income, and that rising operating costs, caused by rising prices for fertilizer, machines and other production materials, will not only kill the present surplus, but will lead to a drop of incomes by up to 50 percent this coming winter season. Market prices (not determined by farmers) for agricultural products are falling, and heavy rainfalls in the past weeks are decreasing the harvest.
Business for farmers is already deteriorating. “Our farms have once again found themselves in more difficult economic waters,” said Farmers’ President Joachim Rukwied. For the current agricultural year 2023/24, which runs until the end of June, profits are expected to fall by between 30 and 50 percent, compared to the previous year.
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Minister of Agriculture, Till Backhaus, described the mere presentation of farmers’ profits as incompetent. For large farms, a profit of 200,000 euros as reported in the mainstream media, is relatively low. In addition, product prices have since fallen again significantly, meaning that, for example, cost-covering milk production is currently not possible. Backhaus emphasized that the decline was not just about the profits of farms for grain and rapeseed, but also about processed products in agriculture.
