Hessian parliamentary group launches offensive against soil speculation
The parliamentary group of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen has tabled a bill for the upcoming plenary of the Landtag, which is intended to strengthen rural agriculture in Hesse by means of targeted measures against soil speculation. The draft, entitled ‘Land back in the hands of farmers’, aims to facilitate access to affordable arable and pasture land for local farms and business start-ups. The aim is to ensure both regional food production and the diversity and stability of rural areas in the long term.
Background: Dramatic decline of farms
As Hans-Jürgen Müller, the spokesperson for agricultural policy for the Green Parliamentary Group, emphasised in a recent statement, between 2013 and 2023, Hesse lost around ten percent of its agricultural holdings, which corresponds to around 170 farms per year.
‘A key reason is the lack of affordable arable land,’ says Müller. “Farmers simply can no longer find land or have to give up a large part of their income to speculative landowners. This threatens not only the existence of the farms, but also the regional added value and the liveliness of our villages.”
Key points of the draft law
The draft law envisages four key measures:
- a ‘rent price brake’ for agricultural land in order to prevent excessive purchase and lease prices;
- pre-emption and pre-lease rights for local holdings in order to strengthen their position in the competition for agricultural land;
- more transparency through a central register at the Hessische Landgesellschaft, which automatically informs farmers about available land,
- and the abolition of double real estate transfer tax in order to reduce the financial burden of land purchase.
Rainer Vogel, a trained farmer from Nidderau and candidate for the district election, underlines the urgency of the project: “Without land, there is no agriculture – and without agriculture, there is no regional supply. This bill is an important step in protecting farm successors from rents that threaten their existence. Speculators cannot decide the future of farms while farmers fight for their existence.”
The Greens in the Main-Kinzig district expressly support the initiative of the Landtag faction. Philip Schinkel, spokesman for the Main-Kinzig district association and top candidate for the district election, emphasizes: “Arable land belongs in the hands of those who manage it and not in investment portfolios. That is why we support the draft law.”
"The draft law is a clear signal against the displacement of farms by land speculation", adds Reiner Bousonville, vice-president of the district parliamentary group. “We call on all political forces to seize this opportunity to make agriculture in Hesse fit for the future – for farmers, consumers and rural areas.”
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