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With 24% of its certified agricultural surfaces and conversions constantly increasing, Austria is European champion of bio. But some actors warn about the need to innovate.
Georg Linzl is very concerned about the well-being of his cows. In the meadow adjoining his Sankt Pantaleon farm, twenty-six dairy women graze peacefully. Nothing seems to disturb this sweet tranquility. Not even the steeple that stretches its bulb against the snow-covered Alps. Neither the Moosach flowing below. The breeder owns 30 hectares of land and about thirty Fleckvieh breeds, German cousin of the Montbéliarde. The youngest were left in the barn to give them more space to graze. " It allows them to be healthy and produce better milk ," he says under the cap that hides half of his face.
It is almost two centuries since Georg Linzl's family exploited these lands on the borders of Upper Austria, only two kilometers from Germany. But it's only been a year since it went organic. Thanks to the valuable labels posted at the door of his barn, the farmer sells his milk 50 cents per liter, ten cents more than the conventional. Its turnover has increased by 15%. Not enough to be profitable - it would double the number of animals - but the breeder does not care. With the salary of Madame, psychologist in a Protestant association, the couple is doing well. In addition to his rising incomes, George Linzl has a clear conscience. " I feel like I have made the right choice, to do things right, " he says.
A long tradition
Like him, many farmers are taking the plunge, attracted by stable prices and a booming market. Between 2016 and 2017, conversions increased again by 6%. Result: With 24% of its surface area certified, which is one in five farms, Austria is number 1 in Europe, far ahead of the major agricultural countries of France and Germany, and well above the European average ( 7%).
This interest in organic is not new. It is part of a long tradition dating back to the 1920s, when the first organic farms appeared in the mountains of Carinthia. Producer associations are born fifty years later, laying the foundations for a regulation on organic farming soon to be enshrined in the law. Aid to the industry introduced by the government in 1990, and entry into the European Union in 1995 accelerate the development of the sector. An agri-environmental program called "ÖPUL" is set up. In a context of uncertainty about the evolution of agricultural prices, it guarantees the income of its beneficiaries a certain stability. Based on the second pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and financed equally by the EU and the State, the ÖPUL program is still today " an essential factor in the development of the sector, " notes a report of the Technical Institute of Organic Agriculture.
President of the Bio Austria Association for the Burgenland Region, Franz Traudtner confirms: " The entry of Austria into the European Union has allowed the increase of subsidies. As it has resulted in increased competition for the conventional, this has facilitated the development of organic. In 1995, conventional farmers enter a market in which they can hardly weigh. Austria, a mountainous country half covered by forests, is not conducive to intensive agriculture. To compete with their European neighbors, farmers have no choice but to bet on quality.
Threats on bio
It is at this same time that the mass retail market is launched, offering producers new outlets. In 1994, the Rewe group set up a range of organic products under the brand name Ja! Natürlich (Yes, naturally). His competitors Spar and Hofer follow suit. Twenty years later, the three giants alone occupy nearly three quarters of the Austrian organic market.
On the shelves of the Merkur supermarket in the 16th district of Vienna, Ja! Natürlich are everywhere, from spreads to bacon, to cheese cuts. So much so that customers sometimes consume organic without knowing it. Like this gentleman with a rare hair, met at the exit. " I never buy it. Because the products I buy do not exist in organic, "he mumbles, stuffing a jar of yoghurt brand Ja! Natürlich. Others tout the health benefits. And prices not necessarily prohibitive. " There are often specials, " says Maria, quarantine.
But representatives of the sector see the sky darken over the labeled fields. First because of its dependence on large retailers. A " danger ", according to Andreas Kranzler, director of the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FIBL) in Vienna. " For the moment, the organic offer is not too developed. But if it increases, large retailers will be able to compete to lower prices, "said Franz Taudtner, president of the association Bio Austria for the Burgenland region.
If the price war has not yet begun, the signs are already fighting battle in the field of quality. This is for everyone to show their customers that the grass is greener than elsewhere. One of them requires its dairy suppliers that their cows have access to pasture all year round. " Their specifications are becoming stricter. And if producers can no longer adapt to these ever more stringent rules, the brands could go elsewhere, "Sylvia Maria Schindecker, representative of organic farmers at the Austrian Chamber of Agriculture, fears.
Looking for new opportunities
Another area of concern is the development of European competition. Encouraged by a common incentive agricultural policy, organic farms are multiplying in Europe. And especially Germany, first recipient of Austrian exports. The sector is therefore looking for new opportunities. The restaurant sector, which currently accounts for only 3% of its sales, seems the most promising. In particular that of the public catering. " That's where there is potential, " says Robert Holzer, a member of the Bio Austria office in Lower Austria.
The farmer from Neubau has an entrepreneurial soul. A quality he considers essential for an organic farmer, " because he has to sell directly or market products that do not exist in the conventional. In addition to the 300 to 400 tons of squash that he sells every year in supermarkets, the farmer has developed his own brand: Land Speis (country food), sold in containers open continuously. He has also developed services that he offers to farmers in the area. Robert Holzer says to be a bit extreme. In reality, he has no choice. " I could not live if I spent my time hands in the ground ."
In Neubau, Robert Holzer shares his 53 hectares of land between ten different cultures. It also grows rye and vetch for their ability to capture the nitrogen that nourishes the soil. This allows them to be prepared for other crops.
RFI / François-Damien Bourgery"The advantage of large-scale distribution is that it can sell in large quantities," he says. The disadvantage is that you make less money than selling directly to consumers. "
RFI / François-Damien BourgerySo Robert Holzer started selling directly. He developed his own brand: Land Speis.
RFI / François-Damien BourgeryIt has four outlets, containers open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
RFI / François-Damien BourgeryIn Sankt Pantaleon, Georg Linzl began his organic conversion in 2016, encouraged by his dairy in Germany.
RFI / François-Damien BourgeryHis dairy cows are out from April to November. They only return to the stable to sleep and drink.
RFI / François-Damien BourgeryIn Strasswalchen, Karl Neuhofer relied on a typical Austrian niche product: hay milk. In a very volatile market, "it helps to remain competitive".
RFI / François-Damien BourgeryIts 90 cows are fed according to the traditional method: hay in winter and grass in summer. This brings more aromas to the milk and therefore more taste to the cheese.
RFI / François-Damien BourgeryThe AMA label (Agrarmarkt Austria) printed on certain organic products indicates a quality stricter than that required by the European organic law.
RFI / François-Damien BourgeryOrganic food accounts for 9% of Austrian household food. It's almost three times more than in France, but far too little for industry representatives.
RFI / François-Damien Bourgery
Report produced with the support of the European Union / Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission.