"The future of agriculture and nutrition in Austria - security of supply, self-sufficiency, legal requirements".

In the years leading up to the outbreak of the Covid crisis, security of food supply was a matter of course in Austria, as it was throughout the EU. Adopting voluntary additional services in environmental and climate protection, animal welfare and sustainability at more than 80%, Austrian farmers guaranteed this security of supply on a very high level by international standards. It was only the disruption of supply chains and the occasional absence of products from the shelves that have made our society aware of the vulnerability of our supply chains. The consequences of the Covid crisis were followed by enormous price hikes for energy as well as market distortions resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Supply security has hence finally become a common priority goal. Austrian farmers are taking this supply mandate seriously; on average, each farm supplies around 110 consumers. To secure the future, we need a balance between the three pillars of sustainability: ecology, the economy, and the socio-economy. If we as a society place increasing demands on our food and its production, two points are crucial: firstly, we need to align our purchasing behaviour with the standards we demand. And secondly, we need to cover those production costs that cannot be achieved on the market by paying farmers production premiums. This not only ensures the supply of affordable, high-quality food, but also preserves and creates jobs in rural areas, forms a valuable basis for recreation and tourism with an open and shaped cultural landscape and ensures the sustainable use of natural resources. 

Karl Bauer, Netzwerk Zukunftsraum Land, Austrian Chamber of Agriculture.