BLU in English

Facts and Figures

BLU Bundesverband Lohnunternehmen e. V.

President: Klaus Pentzlin
Director: Dr. Hartmut Matthes
Director: Dr. Martin Wesenberg
Adress: Portlandstraße 24, 31515 Wunstorf
Tel.: +49 50 31 / 5 19 45-0
E-mail: info@lohnunternehmen.de

Date established 1988
 
Brief history
The BLU (Bundesverband Lohnunternehmen e. V.) was formed in 1988 as an independent umbrella organisation for national associations and specialist groups based all over Germany. These regional organisations still have their own representatives, which manage the federations and regional working groups, while overseeing and advising affiliated rural contractors. The BLU office now supports approximately 75% of the agricultural, rural and forestry contractors in the Federal Republic.
The BLU evolved from the federal working group of agricultural, rural and forestry contractors, which was supervised by an employee of the German Farmers’ Association (DBV) in Bonn until the late 1980s.
 
Key figures and contractor profiles
In Germany, there are currently approx. 3,200 professional agricultural, rural and forestry contractors.
Over 40% of them are run by farms as a sideline.

• In 2018, the sector generated a total turnover of approximately € 3.3 billion. As before, agriculture is the most important customer group, with a share of over 70%.

Agricultural, rural and forestry contractors offer all kinds of services “from sowing to harvesting” on arable land and pastures. They also harvest silage and maize and apply commercial fertilisers (slurry, manure) for livestock farms, which represent the largest market shares.

Over the last 10 years, providing supplies and waste-management for biogas systems used to generate power has now developed into a major source of income, which totals € 600 million per year.

With an average annual turnover of over € 1 million, German agricultural, rural and forestry contractors have a highly varied profile and can employ up to 100 people. It is estimated that they invest approx. € 800 million per year, so that their customers can benefit from technical advances in the agricultural sector and acquire new market shares.

The agricultural, rural and forestry contractor sector currently employs about 16,000 full-time and 20,000 part-time workers. This means that approximately 20,000 full-time employees (full-time equivalent) work for German agricultural, rural and forestry contractors.

• For 10 years, professional training has been available for people employed by contractors.

Every year, 230 young people complete professional training as skilled agricultural service technicians, so that they can be employed by agricultural, rural and forestry contractors as qualified workers.

In order to take on business management responsibilities, it is possible to complete further training as an “agricultural service engineer”.