On October 16, 2024, World Food Day, various stakeholders came together in the Lend-Platzl inn in Graz. Whether farmer, politician, researcher or innkeeper - everyone accepted the invitation of the “Welthaus Graz” to an enjoyable and informative dinner. The menu included, for example, empanadas, fried dough tasch that were served with testimonials from Argentina. They symbolized the global agricultural and food system, “where you never know what’s inside,” like an empanada. Family farmers here and here face a variety of challenges, from trading and pricing conditions to key environmental conditions such as climate change, droughts and forest fires, as we struggle with floods here.

The majority of the soy plants that are imported for Austrian feed are grown in Argentina. But do feed imports affect all farmers? No. Many farmers feed their animals completely soy-free. In cattle farming, more than 90% of the requirements are covered by Austrian protein. Austria is one of the largest soy producers in Europe; the domestic harvest amounts to almost 250,000 tons per year. In addition to soy-free feeding and their own cultivation, farmers also rely on soy from Europe. Austria has been a pioneer in the dairy industry and laying hens since 2009 because production is GMO-free. Extensive cattle fattening in Austria largely avoids imported feed. In contrast, relevant quantities of soy from domestic production or from abroad are used in the fattening of bulls, pigs and poultry.

Many farms rely entirely on grass feeding, which frees up arable land for human consumption. Examples of this that were visited in the project include the Kiegerl family from Deutschlandsberg, who markets their Murbodner cattle through Styria Beef, and the Lanzer family from Bruck/Mur, who market vegetables as well as organic beef. In pig fattening, the initial situation is significantly different because pigs are not ruminants and therefore hardly eat any roughage. This means that even greater attention is paid to efficient ration design and verified feed origins. The approach of farmer Peter Pucher, who feeds his Duroc pigs in Vulkanland with a soy-reduced ration, part of which is replaced by rapeseed, is remarkable. The resulting cost savings enable him to purchase more expensive but regional soy food. All three families met farmers in Argentina during exchange visits who have very similar attitudes to family farming.

The culinary information trip continues, and while Barbara Lanzer takes us mentally to her farm, the kitchen serves us cooked beef from her farm with potatoes and pumpkin vegetables. We enjoy the regional delicacies and discuss the massive increase in deforestation of the rainforest in favor of agriculture in Argentina in recent years, which is increasing global climate change. At the same time, transnational corporations are displacing family farms and endangering local food sovereignty. What can we do in Austria to improve the situation on both sides of the Atlantic? Farmers from both countries worked together in the project, formulated political demands and published them in the “Alianza Declaration of Family Farms”. This also includes the demand for mandatory labeling of origin for the catering industry, which was presented in the form of a petition on October 16, 2024 in the Lend-Platzl in Graz.

While we enjoy a multi-layered apple tiramisu from a glass, it is worth thinking about transparency and the legal framework. The mandatory origin labeling for processed foods has been in force in wholesalers and commercial kitchens for meat, milk and eggs in Austria for a year. So far she has been voluntary in the catering industry. The alliance of Styrian farmers, producer associations and innovative restaurateurs that emerged from the Alianza project is now committed to mandatory labeling of origin in the catering industry. This is an important component in enabling transparency in purchasing decisions. It is already a reality in Switzerland. In some restaurants you can choose your steak from different origins, although this is of course reflected in the price. Would that also be a possible path for Austria?

Many questions remain unanswered, and it is clear that we need solutions that both farmers and restaurateurs can buy into. What effects would such a regulation have on farmers and the catering industry? How can we succeed in promoting sales of domestic products while at the same time giving priority to quality and transparency? What level of effort or bureaucracy is required for this?

Local agriculture produces high-quality products, whether they are based on the legal minimum standards in Austria or whether they are high-quality products such as the Vulkanlandschwein or Styria Beef. Location-appropriate production uses comparatively few resources and optimizes the agricultural use provided by the local soil and climate. Farms with no or reduced use of concentrated feed have a high level of eco-efficiency. They take up little or no space for the production of purchased feed and cause comparatively little environmental impact. This was proven by the life cycle assessments from Raumberg-Gumpenstein using the farm management and life cycle assessment tool FarmLife on many farms. However, meat from certified traceable origins has so far only made up a portion of consumers' choices. How can it be shown that the purchasing decision contributes to domestic value creation and the appreciation of farmers? What will consumers choose in the restaurant if there is a selection of cheaper foreign and more expensive local meat products in the future?

Alianza links:

For the Alianza declaration: https://graz.welthaus.at/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Alianza-Erklaerung-baeuerlicher-Familienbetriebe_230426.pdf

For the petition for mandatory labeling in the catering industry: https://graz.welthaus.at/weltweit-aktiv/alianza/petition/

Workshops to develop the demands: https://graz.welthaus.at/weltweit-aktiv/alianza/regionale-tausch visitse

Company ideas:

Kiegerl family: https://graz.welthaus.at/beitraege/pressebericht-was-haben-ein-argentinischer-rinderbauer-und-ein-weststeirischer-bergbauer-gemeinsam/

Lanzer family: https://graz.welthaus.at/beitraege/alianza-projekt-im-orf/

Peter Pucher: https://youtu.be/BSvFxJcObLU

Sources:

Ordinance of the Federal Minister for Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection on information about the origin of ingredients in meals served in communal catering establishments. https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Documents/BgblAuth/BGBLA_2023_II_65/BGBLA_2023_II_65.html

Land Creates Life Podcast | #149 Daily Menu: Transparency | Ulrich Herzog – If you know nothing, you have to eat everything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WQPrOK1PhQ