District Farmers' Day: Strong stand for agriculture in the Erding district!

District Farmers' Day: Strong stand for agriculture in the Erding district!

On June 18, 2025, almost 1,000 visitors gathered in the Altenerdingen festival tent for this year's district farmers' day, organized by Jakob Maier and Irmgard Posch. The event was not only a place for exchange, but also a platform for clear words and important messages. Among those present were numerous political and association celebrities who acknowledged the importance of agriculture in the Erding district.

Keynote speaker Thomas Schreder, a committed hunter, made it clear right from the start how important cooperation between farmers and hunters is, especially with regard to fawn rescue. Would you like a little dig? The hunter described burglars in stables who torpedo the work of farmers as “terrorists”. It becomes clear here that the challenges are diverse and a strong common front is needed.

Demands for agriculture

Jakob Maier took the opportunity to make a passionate plea for better conditions in agriculture. He particularly criticized the policies of Erding's mayor Max Gotz with regard to land use and urban development. Maier also described the EU’s Green Deal and the demands of NGOs as “hypocritical and mendacious”. He emphasized the need to advance political decisions for biogas plants and tax exemptions for domestic vegetable oils.

Andreas Lenz from the CSU also spoke about a topic that affects everyone: food sovereignty. He pointed out that access to healthy and culturally sensitive food is essential to combat hunger and malnutrition. As the BOKU shows, structural inequalities and access to resources are crucial to overcoming the challenges in the food system. Women and girls are particularly disadvantaged in this context and urgently need support.

Valuable collaborations and the future of agriculture

A positive aspect that was highlighted was the successful cooperation between the city and the farmers, for example on the problem of rooks. Rainer Mehringer from WBV Erding, however, struck a critical tone and criticized the hunting association, as many forest owners are often unable to make a profit from their land. These are all things that not only affect agriculture, but also the entire region.

The event was rounded off by Joachim Rukwied, President of the German Farmers' Association, who thanked for the invitation and underlined the importance of such events. Interesting figures underline the explanations: In the Erding district there are 58,500 hectares of agricultural land, 10,000 hectares of privately owned forest and a total of 1,948 businesses with an average size of 30 hectares. The numbers illustrate the relevance of agriculture in the region.

The district farmers' day was not only a social event, but also a call to politics and society to take the concerns of agriculture seriously and to create the appropriate framework conditions. The challenges are diverse, but together we can achieve a lot. So it remains to be hoped that the political decisions that Maier has called for will actually come to the table soon.