Berlakovich demands aid package as drought hits Burgenland harvest

Austria’s continuing heat and lack of rain have produced the worst grain harvest in Burgenland in 56 years, according to ORF. Agriculture Chamber President Nikolaus Berlakovich said on Wednesday that the drought threatened the existence of some farmers and called for swift government measures.

Autumn crops are also showing severe damage. Corn is failing to develop proper cobs, soybeans are drying out in the fields, and drought damage is affecting potatoes and pumpkins, Berlakovich said.

He proposed a package that could include deferrals of social insurance contributions and agricultural investment loans, as well as operating loans with interest subsidies.

“The aim is to secure the livelihoods of farming families,” Berlakovich said, arguing that farmers needed help to be offered quickly because their livelihoods were at risk.

The continuing drought has also caused shortages of animal feed. Organic farms in Burgenland can therefore obtain official permission to buy conventional feed without losing their organic certification, Deputy Governor Anja Haider-Wallner of the Greens said.