Hay prices double as drought forces Alpine cattle downhill

Hay prices in Vorarlberg have doubled after low water levels and high temperatures dried out grass on Alpine pastures, ORF reported. Many Alpine farms brought their cattle back to the valleys up to two weeks earlier than usual, leaving hay in short supply.

Cows are already eating stored hay in barns instead of grazing on the mountain pastures. Around 40,000 dairy cows and young cattle normally spend the summer on Vorarlberg’s Alps. This year, many were brought down early because of shortages of water and feed.

Martin Rusch, the state of Vorarlberg’s official responsible for Alpine pastures, said he had not experienced a situation like this in three decades. He attributed it to a combination of a snow-poor winter, high temperatures and little rainfall over the summer.

Because feed is also scarce in the valleys, some farmers have had to buy hay. Agricultural products trader Hermann Hofer said he is currently delivering three times as much hay and straw as usual. His purchases have taken him across Central Europe, including France, Italy, the Czech Republic and eastern Germany.

Hofer warned that the high demand was also bringing low-quality hay onto the market. Buyers, particularly those purchasing online, could receive feed that was unsuitable for their animals, he said.

The crisis is expected to affect next summer as well. Many animals have been slaughtered because of the feed shortage, meaning they will not be available next year or sent to the Alpine pastures. A smaller herd could also reduce farmers’ yields, Rusch said.