Lower Austria urges swift rollout of drought aid

Austria’s federal government has agreed on 240 million euros in emergency aid for farmers affected by drought, while Lower Austria is calling for the measures to be implemented quickly, ORF reported on Friday.

The agreement also includes a new climate law anchoring climate neutrality by 2040. Finance Minister Markus Marterbauer said a roadmap setting out how the targets will be achieved should be prepared by the end of 2027.

Climate and Agriculture Minister Norbert Totschnig said the previous 12 months had been the driest in Austria since records began in 1850. The drought had severely affected agriculture across the country and practically all crops, he said.

The climate roadmap is also expected to address soil protection, reduced land consumption, climate change adaptation and the circular economy. NEOS environment spokesman Michael Bernhard said the law would be based on scientific evidence and include a correction mechanism if Austria risked moving away from its targets. He also announced faster environmental impact assessments.

Lower Austria’s deputy governor responsible for agriculture, Stephan Pernkopf of the Austrian People’s Party, called the agreement a necessary step for farmers and food security. He said the aid must now be delivered quickly because conditions on farms were extremely strained.

Lower Austria Governor Johanna Mikl-Leitner said the recent debate had been unnecessarily ideological and had delayed urgently needed assistance. Climate protection, support for farmers and a competitive economy should not be played off against one another, she said.

State councillor Sven Hergovich of the Social Democratic Party said the agreement demonstrated that the federal government was able to act after record heat and the resulting crop losses. The measures would help farmers and prevent prices from rising sharply, he said.