Agriculture is a branch of the economy that relies heavily on natural resources. In Germany, agriculture takes up more than half of the country's land area and has a significant impact on water, the atmosphere and biodiversity. Around 4.5 million people work in agriculture and the upstream and downstream sectors. In order to shape this influence responsibly, agriculture is striving for sustainability. Its goal is to increase resource efficiency, protect the environment, work economically and take social concerns into account.
The DLG promotes the sustainable development of German agriculture by providing technical expertise and services. It supports farms in implementing sustainable practices and contributes to a broad public debate. Sustainable agriculture is based on defined criteria in the areas of economy, ecology, social issues and management.
The DLG programme promotes animal-friendly husbandry of dairy cows. It contains requirements for space availability, contact with the outdoor climate, high-quality feed, employment material and health care and many other important requirements for the management of animal-friendly husbandry. The increased animal welfare is demonstrated with four different awards.
