Munich (dpa/lby) – According to a study, there are annual costs of several hundred million euros in Bavaria alone to compensate for the negative consequences of conventional agriculture. In the study, the Technical University of Munich examined the environmental and climate impacts of 80 organic and conventional farms over a ten-year period on behalf of BUND Naturschutz. According to this, ecological management saves between 750 and 800 euros per hectare annually, based on the environmental costs such as greenhouse gas emissions, nitrogen pollution and the use of pesticides, as the BUND announced on Thursday in Munich.
With the current share of 13 percent organic farming area in Bavaria, that would mean cost savings of around 300 million euros. With an organic share of 30 percent, which must be implemented in Bavaria by 2030, this would already save 750 million euros per year. “The study makes it clear that every euro that we use to reach the 30 percent target as quickly as possible pays off in the end,” said BUND Country Manager Richard Mergner.
The BUND therefore called for a faster conversion to organic farming. “With a 13 percent share of organic farming, Bavaria lags far behind Baden-Württemberg or Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, where almost twice the percentage of farms have switched to organic farming,” said Mergner. In addition, a binding framework is needed so that at least half of the food comes from organic farming at all levels in Bavaria, both state and municipal.
For the nationwide study, farm pairs from four regions throughout Germany were examined, twenty of which were from southern Bavaria. “Organically farmed land causes 50 percent less greenhouse gas emissions. The yields from organic crop production are lower than from conventional crop production. However, the study also shows that organic food is around 20 percent cheaper than conventionally produced products in terms of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.” , said study leader Kurt-Jürgen Hülsbergen.
The study also showed that further increases in yield can be achieved in organic farming if improved cultivation methods are used, says Hülsbergen. “In order to use the earnings potential, greater investment in research is required.”
Thomas Lang, Vice-Chairman of the State Association for Organic Farming in Bavaria, emphasised: The study has shown that the conversion of agriculture to organic farming is also an economic necessity. “The environmental damage caused by intensive agriculture amounts to 90 billion euros every year in Germany alone – these costs are not priced into the products. Organic farming can significantly reduce these costs and promote biodiversity, fertile soil, clean water and climate protection.”
