“The ÖVP’s 360 million-dollar ‘stimulus program for agriculture’ is increasingly turning out to be a nonstarter. Because while the agricultural budget continues to increase, the number of agricultural businesses is decreasing. “Obviously the bloated apparatus surrounding the ministry, the chamber and the AMA consumes so much money that hardly anything reaches the actual service providers, the local farmers,” said FPÖ agriculture spokesman Peter Schmiedlechner.
“Black farmer representatives, especially the President of the Austrian Chamber of Agriculture, Josef Moosbrugger, may also have recognized the seriousness of the situation. This is because he recently called for the introduction of an ‘overnight stay euro’, for which farm work in the area of landscape management should be compensated. We libertarians are positive about this proposal, even if some details still need to be clarified. However, this money then has to go directly to the farmer,” says Peter Schmiedlechner.
“The situation in agriculture has been very bad for a long time and will get even worse if the ÖVP continues to bear responsibility. Real incomes are falling; in 2023 the overall agricultural bill fell by more than 21 percent. No wonder, because the costs for businesses are rising and farmers are receiving less and less for their products. Despite the fact that the ÖVP has been at the political controls in the ministry and chamber for decades, no one wants to take responsibility for the disastrous situation in agriculture,” Schmielechner continued.
“In the coming National Council elections, farming families can clearly decide whether they want change or whether the misguided ÖVP agricultural policy should be continued. We stand for a red-white-red trend reversal in the interests of domestic agriculture,” concluded the liberal agricultural spokesman.
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