Germany's farming deputy warns against EU budget cuts for agriculture
Rainer told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Thursday edition) that he is "no advocate of a sugar tax" and does not believe it would deliver the hoped-for health benefits or significant savings in healthcare. Comparing the expected revenue of around €100 million to the billions spent in the health system, he argued the sums were negligible. Instead of introducing new regulatory taxes, Rainer favors voluntary agreements with industry to reduce sugar, fats, and salt—a strategy he says is working and should be continued.
On EU agricultural policy, Rainer opposed a post-2027 overhaul of farm subsidies. He rejected proposals to merge the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) into a single funding pot with other policy areas, warning that the European Commission's planned budget fails to reflect agriculture's importance. "Food security and supply stability must be given the same priority as defense," he insisted, cautioning against the "cannibalization" of agricultural funds if they were pooled with migration or social policy budgets. He underscored agriculture's role as part of critical infrastructure.
Addressing food prices, Rainer stressed that the state should not interfere in pricing, which he said is determined by supply and demand. While he has not yet observed price spikes linked to the Iran conflict, he noted the situation is being closely monitored. Affordable food, he argued, depends on economically robust farms, and prices must reflect value—citing 99 cents for half a pound of butter as unsustainably low. At the same time, he rejected state-imposed levies to raise meat prices, pointing to increases of over 30 percent in recent years.
To support farmers, Rainer announced further relief measures, calling the temporary 17-cent cut in fuel taxes on diesel and petrol a "first step." At the EU level, the German government plans a package to tackle high fertilizer costs, including tariff reductions on imports to bolster European production. He also pledged a "bureaucracy reduction package tailored for agriculture" before year's end. Additionally, Rainer vowed to strengthen farmers' position in the supply chain and push for fairer competition rules in the EU, such as revising the directive on unfair trading practices.
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