Overview
- Federal Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer halted the national animal-housing program due to low uptake after its spring 2024 launch.
- DBV official Hubertus Beringmeier urges a switch to apply-first, permit-later to overcome long approval times that can stretch to two years.
- The ministry intends to move support back to Länder schemes, prompting warnings of a fragmented funding patchwork and weaker planning security.
- Industry representatives describe a deep investment backlog and say the early shutdown hits younger farmers especially hard.
- FAZ reports steep structural decline in the sector, with pig farms down about 41 percent in ten years, as major retailers push higher-welfare sourcing that will require further investment.