After a long journey, we finally arrived at the Austria Center and were welcomed with coffee and cake. We then immediately met the President of the Eco-Social Forum in Austria and Europe, Mr. Stephan Pernkopf, as well as the Secretary General, Mr. Johannes Abentung, and the former Vice-Chancellor, Mr. Josef Riegler.
Under the motto "Self-Confident European Agricultural Policy: Responsibility for Europe and the World," Mr. Wolfgang Burtscher opened the conference. We were presented with informal data, such as the fact that the average age in European agriculture is 61 and that only one in ten farm managers is under 40. After further presentations on conflicts in the economyand strategies for food security, the first discussion round began, during which there was lively debate and we were able to contribute our questions.
After a delicious lunch, we moved on to the second half of the day. Mr. Thilo Hofmann explained how we secure the future by creating a sustainable food system. This was followed by two further presentations on the topic of innovation in food systems . A final discussion round brought this informative day to a close, and we then made our way back home to the beautiful Enns Valley. (Laura Rießner)
For your information: The specialist day for grassland and livestock farming as part of the winter conference will again take place in Raumberg-Gumpenstein (see below).