On World Farmers Day – “Should prevent food dependence”

“We are certainly not the cheapest in Austria when it comes to grain and meat production. But the quality is good for that,” says Josef Moosbrugger, chairman of the Agricultural Chamber. Who has a tip for the end consumer: “It is better to buy less meat, but regional quality at a reasonable price. That would help everyone.”

The problems in agriculture are widespread. And exacerbated by the crisis in Ukraine. “Farmers feel the disruption of the flow of goods around the world directly on their farms,” ​​said Georg Strasser, chairman of the Boerenbond. “If it stays that way, many will throw in the towel.”

High prices pose problems for farmers
Moosbrugger sees the increased production costs as the biggest problem. Especially energy and fertilizers put the producers to the test. “The farmers have to pay in advance without knowing how much they will get for their products in the end.” Although the number of farms in this country has declined in recent years, Austria is doing well when it comes to organic farms. Moreover, when it comes to the size of the companies, they do not rely on mass – like Denmark (see chart).

The road to the dead end is short
However, if prices continue to develop, security of supply could be jeopardized. “That happened to us with energy, but it must be prevented at all costs with food,” says Moosbrugger. “Always striving for the cheapest leads to a dead end. A regional food and energy supply is the future factor.”

Moosbrugger is not very optimistic about the future: “Unfortunately, a lot of food ends up in the trash. We will have to develop the realization that food has a certain value. Otherwise there won’t be enough in the long run.” For Strasser, the designation of origin offers an opportunity: “Brussels must approve the advance of Austria. We are working on an aid package to dampen inflation in agriculture and forestry.”

Farmers from the federal states:

Vienna
Marianne Ganger, greengrocer: “People who buy regional food protect the climate. We also thank our customers for that.” The same goes for Viennese wine.

Styria
Vinzenz Stern, award-winning master cheesemaker at Graz: “The most challenging thing right now is that costs have risen so dramatically that the manure alone is four times more expensive. We see our future in autonomy and are working on it.”

Carinthia
Andrea Weiß, mountain farmer: “Farmers should be open to new things, away from tunnel vision. Also provide more insight into the work to be valued. And citizens need borders, such as: B. on the Alm, accept.”

Burgenland
Martina Schmit runs an organic farm in Zagersdorf and sees the change in climate and prices as a major challenge: “Even the bottles for our pumpkin seed oil have become more expensive.”

Lower Austria
“We simply no longer have planning certainty,” says farmer Veronika Harm from Kuning near St. Pölten. Since 1990, the company had to quadruple in order to survive: “Trade only pays starvation wages.”

Tyrol
Carolin Grabner of the Steirerhof is optimistic about the future of agriculture, but is concerned about inflation: “I hope people will reconsider that perhaps an iPhone is less important than healthy food.”

Vorarlberg
Simon Vetter from Lustenau has been promoting himself for years – and with great success. It is therefore independent of the food trade. He sees the future of modern agriculture in partnerships.

Salzburg
Conny Rohrmoser relies on animal-assisted intervention for disabled children at the Reiterhof organic farm in St. Johann im Pongau: “I think we will need even more social farming in the future!”

Upper Austria
Johanna Haider, state farmer with an organic farm: “I hope that the farms will continue to produce despite rising costs. The security of supply for humans and animals must continue to be guaranteed.”