Due to climate change, local alpine agriculture is facing several challenges, including unpredictable weather, changes in vegetation, longer farming periods, an increasing need for livestock and a lack of labor.
The growing heat in particular is causing problems for farmers. As a result, the season shifts slightly, which leads to an earlier cattle herd, reports Josef Moosbrugger, chairman of the Agricultural Chamber.
This increases the forage yield, but at the same time the need for large livestock also increases. This is due to the fact that the alpine pastures are less eroded when there is a greater supply of forage and the encroachment by shrubs increases. Without extra livestock, there is therefore a greater need for care on the pastures.
If this work is not done, there is a risk that the areas will overgrow. “The challenge is to deal with higher feed yields and treeline elevations combined with declining livestock numbers.”
Hundreds of workers wanted
In the long term, only as many pastures as there are animals can be kept open. In addition, most farms can hardly afford the necessary maintenance measures economically. In this context, the increasing shortage of personnel on the alpine pastures is also a problem. Becoming a shepherd is “undoubtedly a special job”. The comfort is “very limited”. Staffing needs range from hundreds of employees.
High expenditure, fear of drought
Like the rest of the industry, alpine agriculture is also struggling with lower producer prices and at the same time high costs. The LKÖ president warns that the climate-related changes could further exacerbate the situation. As for the water supply, Moosbrugger states that it has been secured due to recent rainfall. However, due to the increasing periods of drought, this subject will be of increasing concern to farmers in the future.
Source: Krone
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