After Gewessler's initiative

“No devil’s bargain”: organic farmer is in favor of renaturation

Ludwig Rumetshofer (40) is a farmer in Braunau am Inn.

(Bild: Scharinger Daniel)

Although many of his stakeholders warn against it, an organic farmer from Braunau am Inn is in favor of the controversial EU regulation "on the restoration of nature", as the regulation is officially called. According to the organic farmer, one reason for his approval is the heavy rainfall in recent weeks.

Ludwig Rumetshofer admits: "I'm definitely in the minority with my opinion, but I'm not alone." The 40-year-old is an organic farmer in Braunau am Inn and, unlike many of his colleagues, welcomes the EU renaturation law, which Austria has now, as reported, agreed to after all thanks to a solo effort by Climate Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens). The controversial regulation is intended to restore natural areas, for example by reforesting forests.

Critics fear restrictions on agriculture
Alongside the ÖVP, the Chamber of Agriculture and the Farmers' Association are among the most vocal critics of the new regulation. Among other things, they fear that it will lead to fields being set aside. "Austrian agriculture and forestry live and breathe environmental protection, are European record holders with their share of biodiversity areas and are constantly plagued with new legal and bureaucratic requirements. We must stop abolishing ourselves," says Franz Waldenberger, President of the Upper Austrian Chamber of Agriculture.

However, not all farmers reject the regulation: "It's not the devil's bargain that is being conjured up by our lobby group," says Rumetshofer from Braunau, himself a board member of an association for small and mountain farmers.

Ludwig Rumetshofer and his family run the Bretterbauer organic farm, an arable and vegetable farm in Braunau am Inn.

(Bild: Scharinger Daniel)

Implementation still unclear
"The law does not cut our production bases, it protects them. Without intact nature, it is not possible for us to produce food," argues Rumetshofer. As an example, the organic farmer cites the heavy rainfall of recent weeks, which has affected his fields. Such extreme weather events are "an effect of climate change", and the new law will help to combat this.

However, it is still unclear what exactly this will look like, as implementation is the responsibility of the EU member states. The farmers must "make their voices heard", demands Rumetshofer.