Protection of nature, animals and agriculture
Agriculture, nature conservation and animal welfare are at the top of our priority list!
Above all, it is about maintaining a clean nature rich in species: clear water, high air quality, maintenance and extension of networked living spaces for all animal species, breeding of animals adapted to the species in agriculture, etc.
However, the following must be considered: responsible actions on the part of citizens are necessary! It is up to the citizen to accept the offer of quality products, local or regional. We don’t need obligations, favouritism, state-dictated “vegetarian days” or additional sugar taxes.
The biggest hurdle will be that species-appropriate breeding of animals for slaughter is significantly more expensive than conventional stable breeding. The same goes for fruits and vegetables from organic agriculture and viticulture. So that the offer is not reserved for those who do not care about prices, we must support our agriculture, wine growers, market gardeners and fruit growers in this sense.
We must reform European agricultural policy and massively subsidize very clear and important measures for the diversity of species (border strips, networked hedges, flowering varieties, etc.), in the same way as species-friendly breeding or organic cultivation.
Also our private forest owners must be able to operate more freely again. The ideological limitation of deforestation is not an effective means, unlike subsidized reforestation, depending on the species planted. This sector also needs more consultants who are available to the association of forest owners and their members.
The current law on the protection of nature goes much too far with regard to what is still exploitable in the green zone, and this despite the recent “opening”.
PRIVATE GARDEN IN GREEN ZONE
For example, currently private chicken aviaries are prohibited in the green zone. Private gardens in green zone? Forbidden. Expansion of the substance of the existing building? Impossible.
We grew up as children in the gardens of our parents and grandparents near the forest. Our connection to nature should not be “taught”: it must be lived!
Especially also animal shelters and shelters, sanctuaries, etc. must be able to be introduced in a green zone, and without endless procedures and studies! There is an acute shortage and such facilities belong to nature!
Fiscally, a special certificate should be created to specifically promote investments in such facilities (beyond the usual deductibility).
All green professions, i.e. farmers, winegrowers, forest managers, landscapers, gardeners, foresters, etc. must be valued and respected. More specific and practice-oriented training should also be offered.
So-called “sustainable” energies are often harmful to nature and the diversity of species and, ultimately, they also have a poor “climate balance”.
It is necessary to approach in an objective and scientifically based way the question of whether the “green” energies propagated are really sustainable and respectful of nature. This is often not the case with wind turbines or hydraulic dams. Even solar panels on green lawns are not a solution: it is better to use waterproof surfaces (e.g. roofs) for this anyway.
True conservation of species and nature requires expertise rather than ideology.
HUNTING AND BIODIVERSITY
Hunting, for example, contributes to the protection of biodiversity and the conservation of species.
In the forest, there must be resting areas for wildlife, where no human use (except for forestry and hunting) takes place.
A deterrent feeding for wild boars, for agricultural purposes, must be authorized, even encouraged. A single herd of wild boars can destroy hectares of crops in a single night.
All these professions work hand in hand to guarantee our nature and our biodiversity: one of the most important assets we have to defend! If the state must finance something, then this noble task is certainly one such thing!
AGRICULTURE
For decades, our agriculture has been politically controlled by the EU, whether through quotas or subsidies. With this, the EU dictates the direction as it wishes, and with each new agricultural law, the direction is redefined and it changes. What we need in agriculture is predictable planning that extends beyond 5 years.
International trade agreements like CETA, TTIP, Mercursor, etc. are basically welcome, but when it comes to agricultural products, the “level playing field”, i.e. equitable conditions of trade, is not given:
1) these countries have completely different requirements from us, they have more and less expensive land;
2) wages are lower in many other countries;
3.) other countries do not have strict requirements like ours.
The farmer receives subsidies so that, in the first place, food remains accessible. Without this measure, our food would cost much more.
Here is our vision of fair and sustainable agriculture:
- the same conditions for imported products as Luxembourg products: for example, only plant products (cereals and corn) are authorized for import, which are also grown without genetic modification; and only importing meat when it is certain that the animals have not been raised with growth hormones and animal welfare has not been trampled upon.
- long-term regulation of agricultural policy (planning security)
- less bureaucracy or unnecessary training. Today you have to document almost every step taken (everything that goes in or out). We always talk about “administrative simplification”, but there is always something new to add (for example, pasture register)
To benefit from agricultural subsidies (‘Landschaftspflegeprimm’, etc.), one must undergo theoretical and practical training which, however, during the theory, has little to do with practice.
- fewer and better “labels” for our products. The 25 labels we have in Luxembourg confuse the consumer who then risks buying the cheapest. It is above all necessary to ensure that it is indeed a Luxembourg product and not a simple mixture or cross-border production.
- further favour family businesses: this avoids mass farming and guarantees employment.
- in crops as well as fruits and vegetables, grow older varieties which perhaps yield a little less production but can be grown more “extensively”.
