Farmers Do Not Consider Themselves as Price Drivers
The farmers are not price drivers, emphasized Agriculture Minister Norbert Totschnig (ÖVP), Farmers' Union President Georg Strasser, and Chamber of Agriculture President Josef Moosbrugger on Thursday. As an example, falling grain prices were mentioned, while the price of bread has not decreased. Additionally, farmers are confronted with high energy and material costs as well as labor costs.
"Discussion alone does not lower prices"
Rather, it is about consumers strengthening local agriculture through conscious purchasing. "Discussion alone does not lower prices," said Moosbrugger to journalists. They are still against the Mercosur free trade agreement, and there is a standing resolution from the federal government on this. He assumes that this still holds validity, explained Totschnig.
Regarding the government's savings budget, the minister stated that everyone must contribute. In a subsequent remark, Totschnig emphasized: "We are not saving on the farmers." There are cuts in the area of rural development and the forest fund. There should be no cuts in investment subsidies. Here, the agricultural representatives referred to the construction of stables, as consumers have increasingly higher demands on animal welfare. Moosbrugger noted: "Farmers are always asked to do everything, but always cheaper."
At the same time, the work of farmers is made more difficult by bureaucracy and restrictions on plant protection. For the farmers, the question increasingly arises, "Can I even bring the harvest into the barn?" explained Moosbrugger.
In general, agriculture has a very good image, it was stated with reference to a survey of 1,000 people. For 83 percent of respondents, it is important for rural areas and village structures, 70 percent believe it produces according to the highest quality standards, 59 percent think that farmers advocate for consumer interests. The AMA quality seal was also surveyed: three-quarters of respondents see it as very or rather credible.
Three Demands
Agricultural representatives today formulated three demands at the "Agricultural Policy Autumn Kick-off" in the Raiffeisen House in Vienna: Continued independent and earmarked agricultural budget in the EU, a "reliable" plant protection, and mandatory origin labeling.
According to the "Green Report" presented yesterday by the Ministry of Agriculture, incomes in agriculture and forestry slightly increased in 2024. Compared to the previous year, there was an increase of 4 percent. The average income per farm in 2024 was 40,024 euros. A key factor for the increase in earnings in 2024 was, among other things, the increase in public funds in the form of an inflation compensation program. Rising producer prices for cattle also had a positive effect.
Overall, agriculture and forestry contributed around 1.4 percent to the country's gross value added in 2024, which corresponds to 12.91 billion euros. Of the 101,036 farms with agricultural land, 53 percent are operated as main businesses and 44 percent as secondary businesses.
(APA/Red)
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