Online marketplace helps farmers find scarce animal feed

ORF reports that drought driven shortages have pushed hay and straw prices up by as much as 60 percent, while farmers face waiting times of four to six weeks for winter feed. An online marketplace run by the Carinthian Chamber of Agriculture aims to connect farmers who have feed with those seeking supplies.

Demand for animal feed is currently higher than ever, according to Christoph Hopfgartner, head of agricultural trading at the Raiffeisen group’s Lagerhaus cooperative. Temporary supply shortages are possible, he said, leaving farmers waiting longer for their orders. Faster deliveries are available only in exceptional cases when demand is acute.

About 80 percent of the feed sold by the cooperatives is currently imported from Italy. Transport costs and high demand have driven up prices, with some feed costing nearly 60 percent more than in normal years, Hopfgartner said.

Farmers may be able to buy feed more cheaply from other agricultural producers, said Siegfried Huber, president of the Carinthian Chamber of Agriculture. The chamber provides the online marketplace free of charge on its website.

The chamber does not record how much feed is traded through the platform or which farmers buy from one another. Based on feedback, however, it estimates that several hundred tonnes of feed are being exchanged directly between farmers.