Farmer is annoyed

“We organic farmers have to be used for Sunday speeches”

Hubert Lackner (42) has been running the organic Sipbachhof farm in Allhaming since 2000 and currently grows maize, soy, spelt and oats on his fields.

(Bild: Einöder Horst)

Farmer Hubert Lackner from Allhaming gets the same price for a ton of organic wheat as he did 16 years ago, but costs are rising all the time. In total, there are around 4600 organic farms in Upper Austria. What needs to change for them from Lackner's point of view.

Hubert Lackner has been an organic farmer since he took over the farm in Allhaming from his family in 2000. He was just 18 years old at the time. The 42-year-old still enjoys working in the fields where he currently grows corn, soy, spelt and oats. "Being an organic farmer is one of the most beautiful and honest professions there is," says Lackner.

Organic grain is used as an ingredient in baked goods such as bread.

(Bild: Scharinger Daniel)

In recent years, however, there has been an ever-increasing "but": "Like everywhere else, expenses have changed due to inflation, but we still get the same product revenue." Lackner calculates: "I get 360 euros for a tonne of organic wheat, the same today as in 2008, but in the same period, for example, an hour's work has become 100 percent more expensive." The 42-year-old - he runs his farm as a sideline and is a management consultant - draws a comparison with employees: "If I were to get the same salary as 15 years ago, it would no longer pay off."

Number of organic farms is stagnating
Is Lackner's anger an isolated case? Not really: "Prices used to be much better. They have stabilized, but are now at a level that is not satisfactory for arable farmers," says Stefan Rudlstorfer, organic advisor at the Upper Austrian Chamber of Agriculture. However, it is difficult to make a general judgment because grain prices are a matter of free negotiation. In any case, they have not yet led to mass bankruptcies of domestic farms: According to the Upper Austrian Chamber of Agriculture, the number of organic farms with more than one hectare of farmland in Upper Austria is currently stagnating at around 4600.

As a consumer, you get the feeling that organic is being pushed and promoted very strongly. But the reality is different.

Hubert Lackner (42), Bio-Landwirt

Global trade has an influence
Global competition, i.e. trade with cheaper foreign countries, is likely to depress grain prices. Lackner also sees this as a problem: "A large corporation says it saves a few cents because it buys its wheat in Poland instead of Upper Austria." The 42-year-old calls for a continuous designation of origin to promote the regional market and for public institutions such as schools and hospitals to make greater use of organic products. "We organic farmers have to be used for soapbox speeches, but this is not reflected in real politics."