A baler with a press chamber and with a feed opening for introducing bale material to be compacted into the press chamber, with a press ram movable in the press chamber in a vertical pressing direction, with a press chamber door for removing a compacted bale from the press chamber and with a bale material feed apparatus, wherein the bale material feed apparatus has a bale material compartment, into which bale material to be compacted can be introduced, and conveying means, by means of which the bale material can be conveyed out of the bale material compartment and fed to the feed opening of the baler, wherein the bale material compartment is delimited by a web-shaped, flexible or articulated carrying element which runs in a U-shape in a basic position and has at least two mutually opposite first side wall sections (31, 31') and a base section, and by at least two mutually opposite fixed second side walls (22, 22'), for the purpose of feeding the bale material to be compacted, which is located in the bale material compartment, to the baler, the carrying element can be raised by means of a lifting apparatus, characterized in that the carrying element is fixed at two mutually opposite horizontal end edges (34, 34'), with a lifting roller, which extends over the width of the carrying element and bears against the underside of the carrying element as a lifting apparatus and which can be pivoted by means of a lifting arm arrangement of the bale material feed apparatus about a pivot axis running parallel to the end edges (34, 34') of the carrying element below the end edges (34, 34') and by means of which the carrying element can be lifted starting from the end edge (34, 34') of one of its side wall sections (31, 31'), and that in a maximally raised end position of the carrying element, the latter is tensioned and a bale material transfer region of the bale material feed apparatus, which, in the operational state of the bale material feed apparatus, faces the feed opening of the baler, is covered and closed off by means of one of the first side wall sections (31, 31') of the carrying element. the bale material compartment is delimited by a web-shaped, flexible or articulated carrying element which runs in a U-shape in a basic position and has at least two mutually opposite first side wall sections (31, 31') and a base section, and by at least two mutually opposite fixed second side walls (22, 22'), for the purpose of feeding the bale material to be compacted, which is located in the bale material compartment, to the baler, the carrying element can be raised by means of a lifting apparatus, characterized in that the carrying element is fixed at two mutually opposite horizontal end edges (34, 34'), with a lifting roller, which extends over the width of the carrying element and bears against the underside of the carrying element as a lifting apparatus and which can be pivoted by means of a lifting arm arrangement of the bale material feed apparatus about a pivot axis running parallel to the end edges (34, 34') of the carrying element below the end edges (34, 34') and by means of which the carrying element can be lifted starting from the end edge (34, 34') of one of its side wall sections (31, 31'), and that in a maximally raised end position of the carrying element, the latter is tensioned and a bale material transfer region of the bale material feed apparatus, which, in the operational state of the bale material feed apparatus, faces the feed opening of the baler, is covered and closed off by means of one of the first side wall sections (31, 31') of the carrying element.