I try to buy local produce too to reduce climate impact. Tax imported foods then and use that money to subsidize local farmers if really necessary, but I would rather see them modernize instead of being kept afloat by taxpayer money.

It’s a tricky subject because objectively, shipping food that could be produced locally from the other side of the world is basically an eco-crime, and degrades our quality standards. Then, throwing endless subsidies at local farmers (who, turns out, have a notably higher standard of living than the average German already) isn’t appropriate either.

In my opinion it comes down to the fact that farming / food production shouldn’t be left to the private sector (nor should infrastructure, natural resources, healthcare and industrial means of production, but that’s veering off topic).