The Federal Government has decided that the remaining agricultural lands from GDR state ownership shall no longer be sold, but exclusively leased, with a clear focus on the promotion of organic farms. This decision is in line with the coalition agreement of 2021 and aims to prevent further sell-off to speculators and to support sustainable agriculture. The new regulation affects about 91,000 hectares that were previously managed by the Land Management and Real Estate Company (BVVG).

Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir emphasized that this measure marks an end to the sale of valuable farmland, primarily benefiting ecologically-minded farms and conventional operations that meet certain sustainability criteria. A points system is intended to regulate the allocation of land, taking into account aspects such as biodiversity, climate protection, and animal welfare. In particular, young farmers are expected to benefit from the new principles.

The decision, however, meets with resistance from eastern German farmers' associations. They had demanded the continuation of privatization and the termination of land management by the federal government. There are also protests against the introduction of sustainability criteria in leasing and the transfer of land into the National Natural Heritage, for which 17,500 hectares are planned.

The Federal Government's Step is a Response to Criticism That BVVG Has Primarily Marketed Land with a Focus on Profit in the Past, Causing Dissatisfaction Among Some Farmers. The New Leasing Strategy Aims to Promote a Sustainable and Viable Agriculture and at the Same Time Counteract Speculation with Agricultural Land.