In the consultations, the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) successfully lobbied for the inclusion of important changes in favor of agricultural businesses. Corresponding proposals were also made by the associations as part of BMEL's current initiative to reduce bureaucracy.
Firstly, the conversion period for former agricultural buildings in outdoor areas will be extended from seven to ten years. Barns that used to house cows or pigs are now often empty and many farmers are faced with the decision of what to do with the building worth preserving. In practice, it has been shown that such buildings cannot be converted due to the expiry of the deadline, even though their condition would allow them to be used again with relatively little effort. Farmers should therefore have more time to plan what they want to do with former stables or barns. Farmers who are still active can also make use of this if they have buildings that are no longer in use, for example, due to a change in production direction or farm structure, which were originally erected in the outdoor area due to agricultural privileges. This also takes account of structural change in agriculture.
In addition, the preferential treatment for the expansion of residential buildings on farms will be strengthened. This is intended to take into account the housing needs of different generations on a farm. Due to the increased life expectancy of the population, more than two generations often live on one farm. Therefore, in addition to extensions to residential buildings in outdoor areas, the construction of an independent residential building as an extension is also to be made possible. In both cases, the number of possible apartments is also increased to four. The prerequisite is that these are used by the existing owners and their families.
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