The planned nationwide pasture premium list for for dairy cows is due to be introduced in 2027. The CDU/CSU and SPD are said to have agreed not to scrap the funding, which has already been approved, contrary to the federal government’s plans, NDR reported on 12 November 2026. On 11 November, the organic farming association Bioland also reported a similar agreement between the governing parties, citing a report by the specialist news service Agra Europe. How the funding will be financed and put into practice has yet to be decided.
The premium is intended to support dairy farms that give their cows seasonal access to pasture. It is planned as an eco-scheme within the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union. The Bundestag had already enshrined the funding in law in 2024; its launch was later postponed.
In 2026, the federal government proposed scrapping the scheme altogether. According to the Bundestag, it argued in its bill on reducing bureaucracy that no additional eco-schemes should be introduced in the final year of the current funding period. The Bundestag removed the bill from the agenda ahead of the debate and vote scheduled for 12 November. This did not amount to a final parliamentary decision on the bill.
Lower Saxony’s agriculture minister Miriam Staudte welcomed the reported agreement. According to NDR, the Green politician sees it as a success for animal welfare, biodiversity and climate protection. She also pointed to the economic circumstances facing many dairy farms, which were struggling with low milk prices and rising costs.
The Arbeitsgemeinschaft bäuerliche Landwirtschaft also welcomed the announced retention of the premium. The association called on Federal Agriculture Minister Alois Rainer to clarify the funding and administrative requirements promptly. The support must be available for the 2027 agricultural application process. The association also believes that the Länder should adapt and continue their existing summer-grazing schemes.
How much farms stand to benefit will also depend on existing schemes in the Länder and on the details of the eventual arrangements. Lower Saxony already pays a summer-grazing premium of €75 per livestock unit, according to NDR. The farmers’ association Lower Saxony Farmers’ Association was cautious in its response: it is not yet clear whether farms would receive additional money under a uniform nationwide scheme, or whether its premium would be lower.
Different expectations emerged at a Bundestag hearing on 4 November. One expert noted that nationwide support could recognise the efforts of farms without backing from a scheme in their Land and provide an incentive for other farms to take part. The hearing also highlighted the administrative burden of a nationwide measure that would apply for only a short time, as well as possible overlaps with schemes run by the Länder.
For farms, the key questions remain the conditions under which they can apply for the premium and how it will interact with existing schemes in the Länder. The political agreement is a step towards implementation, but it does not yet settle the funding or provide a finished application process.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).