No protests, but

Lower Austrian farmers’ association: “We don’t live in a land of milk and honey”

(Bild: krone.tv)

Wednesday marks the fourth anniversary of the first coronavirus lockdown in Austria. In addition to restrictions on going out, it brought one thing above all: hoarding, closed borders and, as a result, empty supermarket shelves. In the krone.tv talk with Jana Pasching, Lower Austria's Farmers' Association Director Paul Nemecek talks about the systemic importance of local farmers, how quickly their importance is forgotten in Brussels and why there are no farmers' protests in this country. 

Four years after the corona lockdowns, the Lower Austrian Farmers' Association wants to remind people of the great value of domestic supply security. "Our farmers were held in high esteem during this time." However, the word "systemically relevant" has become a buzzword that seems to have been quickly forgotten again, as Nemecek explains: "This high regard for our farmers was turned around by left-wing NGOs and politicians in Brussels and farmers and their animals were declared to be climate sinners."

Since then, farmers have been burdened with bureaucratic measures. The set-aside obligation for valuable fields and meadows and the lack of adjustment in agricultural compensation payments, despite rising inflation, are just a few examples. "There is more and more paperwork and less agriculture."

Lower Austria Farmers' Association Director Paul Nemecek(Bild: krone.tv)

Why are there no demonstrations in Austria? 
Farmers have been protesting in many European countries since the beginning of the year. In little Austria, however, there is no resistance. The liberal farmers called for an action in January - but it was modest. So do we live in the promised land? "We don't live in a land of milk and honey. Our farmers also work and suffer under the same conditions of the European Union."

In contrast to our German neighbors, however, Austria has a federal government that can see what farmers have achieved during the coronavirus crisis and what a valuable asset security of supply is. Nemecek recalls the supply security bonus, subsidies for diesel and electricity.

"New laws every seven years"
However, most of the guidelines come from Brussels: "We need a clear change of course in Brussels - from the very top," says Nemecek. Specifically, it's about big issues such as planning security. "European agricultural policy laws are rewritten every seven years. That means they have an expiration date - everything is new every seven years." There is no other law that is treated in this way, said the Lower Austrian farmers' association director.

"What if we had new building regulations every seven years? The house builder would be completely under the radar," Nemecek draws comparisons. And it is the same for farmers in agricultural policy: steel buildings and machinery investments need time to become economically viable, and the European Union does not provide this. "We must clearly pull the teeth out of this bureaucratic monster that is agricultural policy."

Watch the full interview with Paul Nemecek above!