Styria’s drought-hit harvest is worst on record, chamber says

Styria’s prolonged drought in 2026 left fields brown and many crops unharvested, with the region’s Chamber of Agriculture calling it the worst harvest on record. Supplies are nevertheless secure, the chamber told ORF.

Chamber President Andreas Steinegger said the shortfall would largely balance out and that efforts were under way to arrange short-term exchanges within Austria.

The chamber is pursuing research into crop varieties and other measures to improve resistance to drought. It is also advising farms on how to manage the increasingly extreme climate, Steinegger said.

He expects some farms to close, particularly those whose owners had already been weighing whether to continue. Consumers may also face higher prices in the long term if drought conditions recur, as production costs rise, he said.