· Press releases on all the main themes of the IGW
· Latest press photos and over 100 historic images
· Radio items and original recordings
· Footage for TV and online editorial departments
· Current overview of the day’s events for the press
· Press contacts at the Green Week The latest press material about the IGW 2008 is available online (www.gruenewoche.com / Press Info) and may be used free of charge and for research purposes:
· Brief reports on the day’s events
· Press releases on all the main themes of the IGW
· Latest press photos and over 100 historic images
· Radio items and original recordings
· Footage for TV and online editorial departments
· Current overview of the day’s events for the press
· Press contacts at the Green Week
Contents
Market development is "food-driven", not "energy-driven". 1
Farmers’ president Sonnleitner: optimism in agriculture. 2
Increased turnover by Germany’s food industry. 2
Consumption of fish reaches a new high in Germany. 3
Climate protection concerns consumers too. 3
REWE: Farm Experience is a workshop for innovations. 3
Power hall for the entire family. 4
The entire food chain at the Farm Experience. 4
Holland: looking for people who like eating matjes herrings. 4
Brandenburg: tasting test for kirsch royal and bullenbrot 5
Market development is "food-driven", not "energy-driven"
At the present time there is a general expectation that agricultural markets will experience positive growth. "The current development of the market is food-driven, not energy-driven", according to Gerd Sonnleitner, President of the German Farmers’ Association (DBV), speaking during the question time organised by the Association of German Agricultural Journalists at the International Green Week in Berlin. He pointed out that, like pig farmers, the producers of bio-fuels and bio-gas are currently experiencing a difficult time. "That is why it is so important to maintain a sure-handed approach to the taxation of bio-fuels and latterly, in the case of the Renewable Energy Law and Heating Law", Sonnleitner demanded. In his opinion it is right for bio-gas plants to be primarily operated within the materials cycle of agriculture.
At last the long awaited turnaround on the milk market is imminent. As Sonnleitner pointed out, dairies can once again "negotiate on an even playing field" with cut-price outlets. It is his view that Germany can only face the future with confidence as a dairy producer "if our partners are reliable". A short-term, European-wide increase in quotas prior to the actual Health Check met with Sonnleitner’s disapproval. "The best way to react to more restricted markets is to reduce the so-called super-levy, thereby preparing for the abolition of milk quotas in 2015", the farmers’ president said. However, if the quota system is to be abandoned it is vital to draw up a long term accompanying programme, especially for dairy farmers in the most disadvantaged regions.
Processing is currently experiencing problems. Pig farmers have been badly affected by falling producers’ prices coupled with the increased cost of livestock feeds. "In order to get out of the red our businesses need prices of between 1.60 and 1.70 euro per kilogram at slaughter. This would then bring the price of piglets up to the necessary 60 to 70 euros per animal", was Sonnleitner’s confident claim. In this connection he also criticised the hesitancy shown by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in granting approval for livestock feeds. "The blocking of the approval for genetically altered organisms is leading to enormous increases in feed costs. We need practicable tolerance levels", Sonnleitner insisted. In order to counteract a further increase in feed costs the use of animal fats and protein must also be approved.
Farmers’ president Sonnleitner: optimism in agriculture
Farming is experiencing a boom. Speaking at the opening press conference of the Green Week the president of the German Farmers’ Association Gerd Sonnleitner presented a positive picture for the industry in 2008. For the first time since reunification the number of people employed in farming and forestry has risen by 9,000 to 850,000, according to Sonnleitner. "They are a mainstay of the small and medium-sized business sector", creating the basis for 3.4 million employees in upstream and downstream sectors. We will continue to struggle against rising prices for feeds and fertilisers, while the increase in the price of dairy products is vital to the survival of the farmers concerned, according to the farmers’ president. One welcome development in 2007 has been an almost 20 per cent increase in sales in the organic sector to around 5.5 billion euros. Not only do farmers have to adapt to the consequences of climate change, "they can also serve as a force for successful climate protection", said Sonnleitner. Bio-energy is now being produced on an area of some two million hectares in Germany, and furthermore agricultural emissions of CO2 have fallen by some 22 per cent since 1990.
Increased turnover by Germany’s food industry
Despite difficulties both in procurement and in the competitive situation, in Germany the food industry association BVE estimates that companies were able to increase their total sales to some 147.4 bi. €. This represents nominal growth of 6.7 per cent compared with the previous year. In real terms the industry grew by 2.3 per cent. These sales figures place the food industry among the top 5 German industrial sectors and, with a workforce of around 517,000, it makes an important contribution to the national product. Domestic sales rose by 4.7 per cent to 111.1 billion euros. However, much of this increase can be attributed to necessary price adjustments, the chairman of the BVE, Jrgen Abraham, reported, adding that foreign business had again been good. With a nominal increase in exports estimated at 13.1%, sales of food abroad now amount to 36.3 billion euros€. At 24.6% the export quota has reached a record level. "This is convincing proof of the quality and appeal of German foods around the world", said Abraham shortly before the start of the International Green Week 2008.
Consumption of fish reaches a new high in Germany
According to the Fish Information Centre, at 16 kilograms, per capita consumption of fish and other forms of seafood reached a new high in Germany in 2007. This is the third year in a row that fish and seafood sales have increased. In 2007 the amount sold rose by 2.2 per cent to around 1.3 million tonnes fresh weight. The Fish Information Centre (FIZ ) is staging a display entitled "Fish in all its diversity" in Hall 14.1, Stand 101 at the IGW 2008. The highlight will be a bed of ice with more than 60 different types of fish, crustaceans and molluscs. The fish on show come from all the world’s oceans, and there will also be a selection of seafood. Expert answers to all kinds of questions concerning fish, crabs and crustaceans will be provided on the FIZ stand by, among others, researchers from the Max Rubner Institute/Federal Research Institute for Nutrition and Foodstuffs and from the Johann Heinrich von Thnen Institute/Institute for Fisheries Ecology. The FIZ will also be devoting a special section to herrings, featuring the many possibilities offered by this fish, with daily free samples and live cookery demonstrations
(Contact: Dr. Matthias Keller/Sandra Kess, telephone: +49-(0)40-3892597, e-mail: info@fischinfo.de)
Climate protection concerns consumers too
The consumer organisation Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband (vzbv) is calling for a greater effort on the part of agriculture and forestry in Germany to protect the climate. "The things that we eat now, and the way in which they are produced, will determine the climate in the future", according to chairman Gerd Billen. "Farmers and the food industry can make a significant contribution and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Aid and incentive programmes should be examined to determine their cost- and climate-effectiveness. "The patterns and habits associated with our nutrition should be looked at as well with regard to their impact on the climate." Billen called upon consumers to contribute to climate protection through their eating and dietary habits. "Less meat, more fruit and vegetables, more seasonal, regional and ecologically produced foodstuffs. Not only are they healthier, they also help to protect the climate." The climate balance for a particular foodstuff also has to be included as an additional criterion in the decision-making process. For example, the greenhouse gas emissions for a kilogram of beef are four times higher than those for a kilogram of pork or poultry. The increased at content of a milk product is automatically associated with higher emissions, while vegetables from the freezer, compared with fresh vegetables, impose three times as high a burden on the environment.
(Contact: Christian Fronczak, telephone: +49-(0)-30-25800258, e-mail: presse@vzbv.de)
REWE: Farm Experience is a workshop for innovations
In its display at the Green Week the REWE Group is presenting its view of the future of the food trade. With three new features this group of companies is making the Farm Experience into a workshop for innovations. These pilot projects are concerned mainly with aspects of sustainability in the modern food trade. Best Alliance is a new approach by REWE Group for the cultivation of strawberries, paprikas and grapes under contract abroad. With this development the group is assuming its responsibility for the produce at an earlier stage, at the place where it is grown. The Best Alliance project involves joint ventures with the WWF and SOS children’s villages, with the emphasis on selective ecological and social aspects. The Farm Experience will also witness the official launch of the national REWE organic campaign which is being used to present its new line of organic products to an international public. With coffee sold under the Fair Trade label PENNY announces that the 2,000 stores around the country are supporting equal opportunity and sustainability in the countries where the produce is grown.
With information intended to promote healthy living the food industry association Bundesverein-igung der Deutschen Ernhrungsindustrie (BVE) and the food law and food information organisation Bund fr Lebensmittelrecht und Lebensmittelkunde (BLL), together with leading companies in the food industry, will be staging a joint presentation for the first time at the International Green Week. "The food industry must therefore get closer to the consumer", is how Jrgen Abraham, Chairman of the Bundesvereinigung der Deutschen Ernhrungsindustrie explained the higher profile of food producers at this trade fair. "It is only by maintaining close contact with people that we can emphasise the quality of our products and their importance for meeting today's nutritional requirements." The food industry regards itself as a partner of agriculture, the craft trades and food trade. On an area of some 2,000 square metres in the "Power hall for the entire family" visitors will be able to share in an attractive combination of information, activity, entertainment, relaxation and enjoyment under the slogan of "Power for Life – Food and Activity" Among the participants are such leading brand names as Nestl, Ferrero, Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Funny Frisch, Khne and Abraham Schinken.
Once again the Farm Experience occupies all 6,000 square metres of Hall 3.2 at the IGW. Some fascinating highlights await visitors, including a varied programme on the stage, with discussions about agricultural policy, as well as entertaining activities involving the whole family. On the morning of Friday, which has been designated the "Day of Visions", the EU Agricultural Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel and Federal Minister of Agriculture Horst Seehofer are expected to attend the reception given by the German agricultural and food industries. On the opening day the discussions by a distinguished panel (Gerd Sonnleitner, German Farmers’ Association, Jrgen Abraham, National Association of the German Food Industry, and Josef Sanktjohanser, REWE Group) will also focus on the question of "Bread and milk – still affordable in the future?". Further discussions between experts in the afternoon will deal with "Knowing what one is eating: the secret of successful foods". The programme of entertainment on the stage will include an improvisational theatre on the subject of "Agriculture" and a costumed troupe of Russian dancers. During the early part of the evening the Youth Literature Prize of German Agriculture 2007, awarded by information.medien.agrar (i.m.a) and the German Farmers’ Association, will be presented to the five winners.
Holland: looking for people who like eating matjes herrings
Behind a life-sized model of a Dutch girl on the Netherlands Fish Bureau stand in Hall 18 visitors to the International Green Week can sample matjes herrings, Dutch style, and also submit a photograph. Prizes will be awarded for the best and most amusing pictures, which will also be published on the website www.matjes.de. On Friday,18 January, the Netherlands Minister of Agriculture Gerda Verburg will also be introducing the winner of the competition "Matjes in a winter coat". Well known cookery experts from all over Germany have produced some creative gourmet ideas on this theme, which will be assessed by a panel of specialists.
Brandenburg: tasting test for kirsch royal and bullenbrot
"The Brandenburg hall is the shop window for one of the most important branches of industry in our state, as well as helping to promote contacts and serving as a market for testing new specialities", explains the Minister of Agriculture and the Environment Dietmar Woidke. "The people of Brandenburg are as enthusiastic as ever about the Green Week in Berlin." Presenting unfamiliar items is again the best recipe for new products in 2008. For example, one of the new ideas from sausage-makers Vetschauer Wurstwaren at this year’s Green Week consists of liver sausage with small pieces of strawberry, as well as sausage containing horseradish. Cappuccino-flavoured mare’s milk liqueur is being exhibited by a farm in Bredow in the Havelland district. Christine Berger GmbH from Werder on the Havel River is displaying organic sea buckthorn liqueur. Kirsch Royal, a mixed drink comprising cherry beer and sparkling wine, is being offered by Neuzeller Klosterbrauerei. Brandenburg’s range of bread is just as diverse, with varieties such as spelt-honey-salt bread and loaves of many different shapes. Some 150 firms, associations and manufacturers are represented in the Brandenburg hall, No. 21a, this year, Woidke adds.
Обзоры и аналитика
