For the next parliamentary term, the red-green coalition will again be governing – having gained a majority of four seats in parliament. There’s no doubt that Gerhard Schröder is not as glorious a winner this time – the chancellor of reforms, as he was called - as he was four years ago. Germany is going through a difficult crisis. It is high time to act. Time will tell soon in what way this weakened chancellor – whose extremely narrow majority is based on only 8,864 votes – will be able to act, anyway.

The Green Party is the real winner of this year’s parliamentary elections. Their 8.6 percent share in votes does not only mean a considerable increase in voting for them, it also proves to be their best result ever won at parliamentary elections. Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer - who by the way is Germany’s most popular politician – played very well his role as the Green Party’s crowd puller. Now he may call himself the maker of the chancellor.

So no change must be expected in the green hard-liners’ line at the Ministry of Consumer Protection. Should the Social Democrats claim this Ministry for themselves, this would not make any sense now. It is amazing, that no party really made agriculture be a topic during the election campaign. All the more it is to be feared that the Greens will, from now on, regularly play the trump card of the bad farmer. And all this in order to take the people’s mind off the domestic affairs – as has recently illustrated Dr. Herta Däubler-Gmelin so brilliantly. Renate Künast, or her successor, emerges victorious from these elections. This, however, is no good omen at all as regards the realisation of the EU guidelines on pig keeping!

Furthermore, it is expected that the Ministry of Consumer Protection will continue to misuse all sorts of laws and decrees in order to turn green-ideological dreams into a reality. In such case, the major coalition partner and the Bundesrat (upper house of the German parliament) will be the only ones to be able to stop them – as regards for instance the alterations to the Building and Construction Law. The first storm-clouds can already be seen on the horizon: the reworking of the Animal Vaccination Decree, the new limiting values for heavy metals in organic fertilisers (copper and zinc) in connection with the due-to-be-dealt-with ban of performance promoting antibiotics, the national green initiative for cutting down the period needed for animal transports and the degradation of biogas systems to be simple waste utilising systems. Things can hardly get any worse. If you want to, say this is optimism. But it is also our only positive remark on the election results.

From the psychological point of view, the results of this year’s parliamentary elections will make many farmers tend to give up during the next few weeks and months. That, however, would mean to follow the wrong path. It’s certainly worth fighting! Sure: We need to think about the suitable means. New strategies of communication – do the Good and talk about it! – as well as strategic alliances within the whole agricultural industry will be necessary. Let’s tackle the problems. Let’s roll. Complaining makes no sense. After the elections also is before the elections!

Now that the times are hard, it is more important than ever for the German pig keepers to be supported by a strong representative of their interests. Therefore: Choose ISN! Founded by pig keepers – working for pig keepers.

A brave heart turns great catastrophes into small ones. (Demokrit, 460 – 370 BC)