Farmers' President Rukwied Calls for Swift Aid Over Heat Stress in Agriculture

Rukwied addressed concrete demands to policymakers. He called for raising the EU fertilizer subsidy from the current 60 to 180 million euros and for paying out 80 percent of EU direct aid to farmers already in October rather than at the end of the year. These measures are intended to provide short-term relief for farms and secure liquidity until market revenues stabilize again.

Weather Situation and Water Supply

The weather situation is exacerbating the economic problems. Persistent heat and drought are stressing crop stands and livestock farming. In some Alpine regions, water has been flown to pastures by helicopter to supply livestock and grazing areas. The drought is also affecting harvest yields, further depressing farm revenues.

Disagreement Among Farmers' Associations

Rukwied's demands do not meet with unanimous approval everywhere. Markus Ritter, president of a regional farmers' association, rejects the declaration of an extraordinary situation. The debate over the appropriate scale of state aid and over the question of whether the situation should be classified as a crisis is therefore not yet concluded within the agricultural associations either.

The federal government is now under pressure to respond to the demands of the German Farmers' Association. Both short-term liquidity aid and medium-term adjustments in subsidy law are being discussed. Industry observers point out that the disbursement of direct payments must be coordinated through the EU Commission and cannot be decided on a national basis alone.

Impacts and Next Steps

Agriculture is considered one of the first sectors to suffer directly from climate change. More frequent heatwaves, longer dry spells, and more erratic rainfall are posing growing challenges for farms. Many farms are investing in irrigation technology, water storage, and adapted crops, but the costs of such adaptations often exceed the financial means of smaller family operations.

For consumers, the situation in the fields and barns could lead to rising prices for certain food products if harvest volumes decline and feed becomes scarcer. At the same time, pressure is growing on policymakers to create framework conditions that equip farmers for the long term against weather extremes.

The debate over heat aid comes at a phase in which the European Union is realigning its common agricultural policy. Rukwied has repeatedly pointed to the economic imbalance of many farms and already called for relief in the past months. The coming weeks will show whether the government will meet the German Farmers' Association's demands or rely on other instruments.