The number of farms in Germany will be reduced by more than half by 2040, DZ Bank estimated in an analysis released on Friday, as German farmers protest over their financial struggles. Small farms will increasingly have to make way for large industrial operations due to cost pressures, Frankfurt-based DZ Bank forecast. “Increasing demands related to environmental protection, animal welfare and business management are putting more and more pressure on farms. Added to this is the shortage of skilled labour and the often unresolved succession issues on family farms,” it wrote. DZ Bank sector expe…