Susanne Wolf
"When it comes to CO2 emissions, a conventional apple from the Lake Constance region is more worrying than an organic apple from New Zealand."
Christian Pladerer, Ecology Institute ÖÖI
Happy cows in the meadow and talking Schweinderl: If you believe the advertising, the local agriculture is pure romance. Sadly, the truth is different: cows are reduced to concentrated milk with concentrated feed and selection breeding. Millions of male chicks are killed each year as their rearing does not pay off. In pig fattening, it always comes back to abuses, like the Association against animal factories regularly reveals.
The term "regional", which is transported as valuable and sustainable, thereby loses its credibility. Biologic products cut much better, but are usually more expensive - organic meat costs twice to three times.
"The demand decides: Many people only buy in on the price and no longer recognize the value of a food," says Hannes Royer, organic farmer and chairman of the association Land creates life. "When they buy, however, consumers decide on the production and origin of food." In Austria, only ten percent of the household income for food spent. "An iPhone for 700 Euro makes it fast someone," criticized Royer.
Farmers are fighting for survival
But is everything really bad in our agriculture? According to the Federal Environment Agency's 2018 climate protection report, agriculture in Austria contributes 10,3 percent to CO2 emissions, including organic farming. "It's also about helping local farmers," says Royer, pointing out how farmers are struggling to survive. "The world market conditions are brutal, the free market puts farmers under enormous pressure." The average Austrian farmer owns 18 dairy cows, many went casually working. In order to be able to live as a non-organic farmer from the dairy industry, you need 40 cows or even more depending on the farm structure. A rethinking of animal welfare and sustainability is slowly taking place. After all, Austria is at the forefront of organic farming in the EU with 20 percent of organic farming - but many organic foods such as milk have to be exported. "Cost and effort are higher in organic agriculture, hence the higher price of organic food," explains Royer, adding: "Regional and organic would of course be the optimum. However, agriculture should not be able to pass the demand of the Austrians. "
Regional, organic or fair?
Products that are imported from far away countries are in turn criticized because of the wide transport. The eco-balance of a food takes into account environmental impacts through production, transport and use. But here, too, whether a food comes from conventional or organic farming is crucial: "When it comes to CO2 output, a conventional apple from the Lake Constance region is more questionable than an organic apple from New Zealand," says Christian Pladerer from Institute of Ecology, "As the cargo ships carry huge quantities, the CO2 burden of a single apple is low."
When choosing between a traditional domestic apple and a well-traveled organic apple pladerer still pleads for the regional variant, since the eco-balance social aspects such as the working conditions would not be considered locally. Many foods, such as oranges or bananas, exploit workers in the countries of the South.
Of course, this is the case with strawberries or asparagus, which are often found on the supermarket shelves shortly before the local season. According to a study by the VCÖ, one kilogram of asparagus flown in from South America by air pollutes the climate with almost 17 kilograms of CO2, which is 280 times as much as seasonally bought asparagus from the region.
Fair working conditions
The Fairtrade label guarantees small farmers a minimum price for their products, as well as long-term trade relations, prohibits child labor and often promotes women in the cooperatives. "Fairtrade primarily stands for decent working and living conditions," says Hartwig Kirner, Managing Director of Fairtrade Austria, "And only then for Organic farming"In Austria, 70 percent of Fairtrade products are also organic certified. "Not all small farmers can afford to switch to organic farming because it is more expensive and more expensive. Demand is not always there either. "
Speaking of working conditions: Auxiliaries in agriculture are also exploited in Austria. During the harvest season, it is common at many Austrian farms to employ harvest workers from neighboring EU countries.
"Exploitation is the rule rather than the exception, whether organic or conventional agriculture," says Lilla Hajdu from the PRO-GE production union in Burgenland. "Selected workers are selected who do not speak German - but are often overqualified."
Alternative food coops
food coops are shopping communities whose members jointly organize the purchase of organic food with regional farmers. "In principle, fair working conditions for wage labor for all food coops is a major criterion in the selection of suppliers," said a foodcoop spokesman. However, all known companies would have permanent employees who have been with each season for several years, usually from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.
The Ochsenherz Gärtnerhof is a jointly organized Demeter farm in Gänserndorf. The model for this economic form is the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) from the USA. Austria-wide there are currently 26 farms, which are organized according to the principle of solidarity agriculture. At the Gärtnerhof Ochsenherz, for example, 300 people, as harvesting parties, finance and support the cultivation and care of the vegetables, with which the gardeners supply the entire community. "Most of us are Austrian and a Romanian couple employed - but all year round," says Monika Mühr of Gela ox heart.
Stay away: 4 tips to keep you safe!
Products with palm oil - On average every second food product contains palm oil: in biscuits, spreads, finished products, but also in detergents, cosmetics and agro-fuels. For palm oil plantations, especially in Indonesia, huge areas of rainforests are cleared and peat bogs dry. The impact on climate change is enormous: Indonesia currently ranks third among the countries with the highest CO2 emissions, behind the US and China. And also the animal world is affected: Above all Orang Utans and Sumatra Tigern is deprived by the clearing of the rainforest of the Lebensraum. Alternatives are products with domestic oils such as sunflower oil or rapeseed oil.
Take care with quality seals Such as Sustainable Palmoil (RSPO), Marine Stewardship (MSC), or Rainforest Alliance (RA) Roundtable: They promise sustainability, but are considered by Greenpeace to be untrustworthy.
Drinks from plastic bottles, especially mineral water: plastic is made from petroleum and plastic waste pollutes our environment. Comparative tests have shown that Austrian tap water in some cases even contains more minerals than still mineral water.
Meat from conventional agriculture: Factory farming, antibiotics, methane, rain forest destruction by imported soy. These are just a few of the keywords that accompany conventional animal production. The alternative is meat from local organic agriculture.
Photo / Video: Shutterstock.
