Erfurt (dpa/th) - According to farmers, the Thuringian protection program for meadow orchards can be a role model beyond Germany. It combines financial support for farmers who take care of meadow orchards with quality requirements for proper tree pruning, said Michael Grolm from the working group for rural agriculture in Central Germany on Tuesday at the edge of a specialist congress on meadow orchards. "It's even unparalleled in Europe."
In Thuringia, meadows with fruit trees are protected as biotopes. The state's concept for their preservation and protection includes, among other things, promoting the use of orchards.
In Thuringia, meadow orchards cover a total of a good 10,000 hectares and are particularly widespread in districts in northern Thuringia. The congress in Erfurt with 150 participants on site and others online lasts two days.
