A big blow: Labonca, the well-known company Sonnenschwein in Burgau, has gone bankrupt.
During the Corona pandemic, Styria stood united behind local food, our farmers and animal welfare – “since then society has taken three steps backward,” says Norbert Hackl with great regret. This circumstance, combined with an exorbitant increase in production costs and the failure of promised payments from a business partner, forced Labonca from Burgau into bankruptcy. A heavy blow: because it is a model farm in terms of animal welfare, solar pigs live here in a species-specific way without completely slatted floors, as all farm animals should.
Instead of anniversary celebrations, a big blow
Organic pioneer Hackl founded the farm twenty years ago and has since received numerous awards and accolades. His reputation extends far beyond the country’s borders: his pork and beef were delivered to the canteen of the parliament in Vienna. The products were voted among the best in Austria, and the Labonca organic farm was among the top 3 best organic small businesses in the EU.
Instead of celebrating the 20th anniversary, this is bad news for the entire region. Animal breeding and agriculture, now in the hands of son Jakob, remain intact – “slaughter and sales are affected by the bankruptcy,” reports Hackl, who experiences frustrated reactions from all sides. At the moment he sees “no light”, but the visionary from Eastern Styria will certainly think of a new beginning
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
