Without fungicides a month’s pay is lost on the farm

The appropriate use of plant protection products contributes significantly towards stabilising the income of German farms and their workers. If, for example, German farmers did not have access to fungicides, this would result in an income shortfall equivalent to the average monthly pay of their workers.

This was calculated by scientists at Humboldt University in Berlin in connection with the research project 'The societal benefits of plant protection in Germany'. To do so, a research group led by the agricultural economist Professor Harald von Witzke, head of international agriculture trade and development at Humboldt University, determined the loss of income for a series of typical German farms. The loss of income is caused by the significantly lower yields per hectare achieved by farmers if the necessary active agents are not available to them or, as with organic farming, chemically synthesised plant protection products cannot be used on account of the cultivation rules.

Professor von Witzke therefore sums up: “Proper chemical plant protection is extremely important for the profitability and competitiveness of German agricultural production and for the income of those who work in German agriculture. It is also a key determining factor for our diverse agricultural structures, that characterise our cultural landscape and represent a social added value in themselves.”

At the presentation of the study results as part of a press conference at the DLG Field Days (19 to 21 June) in Bernburg-Strenzfeld, the President of Industrieverband Agrar e.V. (IVA), Dr. Hans Theo Jachmann, stressed the positive socio-economic effects of a productive agricultural sector: “Everyone is now aware that modern farms in Germany are using plant protection products in an ecologically responsible and economically sensible way. The study by the research group led by Professor von Witzke also shows that there is also a direct social benefit for the workers on these farms. If the harvest cannot effectively be protected against fungal infestation by fungicides, these workers miss out on their twelfth monthly pay at the end of the year.”

The IVA has supported Professor von Witzke’s research project from the outset. The investigation into farms’ income is the third part of the project. In the research reports already available, scientists had calculated that the increase in prosperity brought about by plant protection each year in Germany can amount to as much as 4 billion euros, and that the proper use of plant protection products can significantly reduce greenhouse gases.