New law

“We work with nature!”

The Great Bustard population has increased again thanks to cooperation with agriculture.(Bild: Honorar)

According to the Renaturation Act, the landscape must be restored as it was 50 years ago. Farmers are protesting and pointing out what they are doing better now than back then.

The EU's renaturation regulation is causing farmers a lot of headaches. "At the moment, we are only hearing about the deterioration of our natural environment, particularly as a result of agriculture," says Werner Falb-Meixner, Vice President of the Chamber of Agriculture.

Developed in our own interests
"There are calls for a 'return to the nature of 50 years ago'. But there have also been many positive things, agriculture has developed in its own interest."

Farmers are portrayed as the bogeymen of the nation. But we are not. We work with nature, not against it!

Landwirtschaftskammer Vizepräsident Werner Falb-Meixner

He explains that 50 years ago, mainly cereals and maize were grown in the Parndorfer Platte and Heideboden areas, which corresponds to around a third of the district of Neusiedl am See. "After the harvest in mid-July, the areas were worked and left uncovered to the sun and wind until they were sown again at the end of September at the earliest," says Falb-Meixner.

Area as a desert
"It was a desert," he exaggerates. Things would look different today. The Austrian Program for Environmentally Oriented Agriculture promotes immediate interim greening. This covers the soil and prevents nutrient losses. "Our farmers do this almost everywhere," explains the politician.

In addition, new interesting crops such as soybeans, peas and sunflowers are being established to break up the crop rotation.

Showcase project to protect the great bustard
But there are also success stories in the animal sector. In the Parndorfer Platte region, home to the great bustard, more than 900 hectares of protected area have been created for this rare animal. This has enabled the population to increase from less than 90 animals to over 600 individuals "We are talking about one of the most successful nature conservation projects in Austria," says Falb-Meixner, who is an active bustard conservationist himself, proudly.

Fallow land also promotes species richness.(Bild: Charlotte Titz)

The agricultural sector as a scapegoat
The proportion of organic areas has also increased significantly. Pama, for example, has almost exclusively organic farmers, in Zurndorf it is 50 percent. "I have the impression that the agricultural sector is being used as a scapegoat to cover up our own failings against nature. It is populist and bold to say 'We have to go back 50 years'," says Falb-Meixner angrily.

He also emphasizes that the proportion of farmers has shrunk alarmingly over the past 100 years anyway. "I support a return to nature," he says. "But not under the guise that only farmers are the bogeymen. We do good work for the population. It's a shame that this is not sufficiently recognized."

Hydrogen in Zurndorf
Another thorn in his side is the project to produce hydrogen through electrolysis in the municipality of Zurndorf. "This is literally cutting us off," says Falb-Meixner. There will be more information on this next week.