End for Agrana Factory in Leopoldsdorf: Social Plan Demanded

"The corporate decision to cease sugar production in Leopoldsdorf is extremely regrettable," said PRO-GE head Reinhold Binder in a statement.

Due to the factory closure, the union has already contacted Agrana's corporate works council head Thomas Buder. Both union representatives are pushing for "a socially acceptable solution for the employees." "The most important thing now is to provide the affected workers with prospects for their future working lives," said the PRO-GE head.

Insufficient Beet Quantities: Agrana Factory in Leopoldsdorf Already Faced Closure in the Past

For Agriculture Minister Norbert Totschnig (ÖVP), maintaining self-sufficiency with Austrian sugar has the "highest priority." In Austria, the entire Agrana sugar production will henceforth only take place at the Tulln site. "At the EU level, it is important to continue forging alliances to create suitable safeguard clauses to secure the sugar market," Totschnig explained in a statement to the APA. The profitability of Austrian sugar production is "hampered by overproduction in Europe, duty-free import quotas from Ukraine, and significant restrictions on plant protection."

The Leopoldsdorf sugar factory had already faced closure in the past due to insufficient beet quantities. In the fall of 2020, Agrana, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the beet farmers announced a "sugar pact" to secure the factory in Leopoldsdorf. To fully utilize the factories in Tulln and Leopoldsdorf, the company requires a sugar beet cultivation area of 38,000 hectares, according to information from May of the previous year. At that time, Büttner had emphasized, in relation to the corporate strategy then being developed, that Leopoldsdorf was "not up for discussion."

(APA/Red)

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