“I have been a member of the DMK advisory board for more than three years and see myself as a critical and constructive voice representing the interests of farmers. My family and I run a farm in Gütersloh with a proud tradition of 500 years. Naturally, I have an interest in the future of our 400-cow family farm, and we depend on the dairy we supply doing well. My daughter, for example, works in quality management at DMK - that's how connected we are. 

They say we farmers are always complaining, but at the end of the day we are people who, as independent entrepreneurs, have to make important decisions. And they are not always easy. But because I love my job so much, I also have to weigh things up, question things, and the cooperative is the extended arm of the teamwork that is needed to function as a community. 

That's why I'm calling for more co-determination rights for advisory boards and representatives, so that they can be more involved in decision-making, which has been lost in recent years. We want to benefit from a good milk price. Or that our ideas are heard when it comes to developing innovative products for consumers.”