Overview
- Ministers, meeting in Würzburg on Thursday, September 24, discussed a government draft that would remove statutory “rote Gebiete” and replace them with measures that target polluters and increase monitoring.
- Bavaria proposed letting interested states keep regional ‘rote Gebiete’ and Michaela Kaniber suggested a reporting duty for purchases of mineral fertilizer so authorities can check use against farm‑level area data.
- Water suppliers and conservation groups, including the Verband kommunaler Unternehmen and Bund Naturschutz, warned that regional rules could weaken nationwide protection for soil and drinking water.
- Several hundred farmers protested the conference, saying low prices, higher input costs and poor harvests after a long drought make rule relief and more funding urgent.
- Ministers also debated EU farm funding for 2028–2034, where the Commission offers €300 billion and agriculture groups including Kaniber seek about €500 billion, leaving financing and legal follow‑up unresolved.