Austrian trip shows what can happen when nature-friendly farming is valued and supported

Sitting on the summit, where the German-Austrian border is located, the mighty peaks of the Alps provided an enticing and stunning backdrop.

Ten years on and those memories come flooding back as I return to Austria, not for mountaineering but to see how the country’s nature-friendly farmers are faring. However, it quickly becomes obvious that the country is scaling peaks in that field as well.

I travelled to Austria on a fact-finding mission to meet some of the country’s Farming for Nature Ambassadors, a scheme which also celebrates some of Northern Ireland’s nature-friendly farmers. What I quickly discover is just how much can be done when an approach which balances food production with the environment and biodiversity is properly supported at all levels by those in power.

First stop was at Andreas Badinger’s 20-hectare organic dairy farm. His organic system produces high-quality milk which is valued in raw cheese making, and Andreas puts biodiversity right at the heart of his farming. There are patches of native woodland, and the edges of fields are either left entirely or cut later in the year for nature. Despite the warm summers, he dries hay inside to ensure his herd receives the most nutritious diet possible.

He receives agri-environmental payments from regional Austrian authorities and the EU.

From there I headed to Alexander Steindl’s farm, easily the most diverse operation on the trip. On about 50 acres Alexander and his wife farm pigs, goats, sheep, cattle, chickens and turkeys, all on free range, pasture-based systems. He sells directly to his customers, telling the story of producing his meat with a bold social media presence. There are also around 28 different types of fruit tree on the farm, with Alexander keen on agroforestry both to increase biodiversity on site and to help with water retention.

With Austria reeling from catastrophic flooding in recent months, I was particularly interested in how planting trees in line with the contours of hillsides enables Austrian farmers to slow the flow of water and prevent nutrient run-off. I couldn’t help reflecting how huge the savings for society as a whole could be if this approach was scaled up and properly rolled out.

The Austrian government also has a results-based payment system which farmers like Andreas and Alexander are using to full advantage. Indicator species are used to identify the quality of habitat around the farm, and practices which minimise environmental damage also score highly. Doing the right thing allows them to obtain the highest levels of payments, providing further financial security to businesses which are clearly already thriving.

Next it was on to another pair of farms that were completely different in almost every way, but still managed to make plenty of room for nature. Jakob Meyer is a producer of high-end schnapps which he makes from the fruit of the wild trees he has encouraged and nurtured through his land management and which grow in his rich hay meadows. Unsurprisingly, Jakob is also entitled to the highest payment levels under the Austrian government’s approach.

Rudi Schmid, on the other hand, is an arable farmer. One of his main passions is maintaining rough margins. His enthusiasm for this is so infectious and he has been doing this so long that some of the Austrian agri-environment schemes’ options were actually developed following visits to Rudi’s farm. His field edges are cut to different time scales, with some having not seen a mower or a scythe for two decades while some get cut down each year. This allows a greater variety of flowering plants so birds and insects can thrive.

Our final farm visit in Austria was to a very different landscape to the towering peaks of the Alps that many people automatically think of when the country is mentioned. Otto Knaus runs a 12-hectare organic vineyard in eastern Austria, close to the border with Slovenia. He produces a range of natural wines and is particularly proud of the way he provides habitat for native reptiles. This also has a practical result for his farming as they predate rodents and prevent the loss of grapes. Needless to say, as a devout lover of nature Otto finds this approach far preferable to getting the sprays out.

Following the farm tours it was time to leave the countryside behind and head into Vienna for meetings with the ministry of agriculture. We got to speak to the decision-makers in charge of shaping and maintaining the schemes which we had seen benefitting nature-friendly farmers out in the field. It was clear that farming and environment ministries, although separate bodies, both put a high value on protecting nature. Equally obvious was that close working with the EU was benefiting farmers, with everyone on the same page about the balance of biodiversity, financial viability and really high-quality food production.

One thing that was particularly striking about my visit to Austria was how influential young farmers were. We met people in their late 20s and early 30s in control of the family farm businesses, even in cases where their parents were still working on the farms. This is something you rarely see in Northern Ireland, and I couldn’t help reflecting if this set-up helped the Austrian farms achieve their blend of tradition and new vision.

With England, Wales and Scotland facing pushback on their agri-environment schemes, and Northern Ireland still a long way behind on even developing what will replace the EU’s CAP, the visit to Austria was like stepping into another farming world. It just shows how different things could be if we could leave behind the tiresome ‘food vs nature’ debates, realise the two things are completely dependent on each other and really support farmers who want to see a sustainable future. It was both inspiring and disheartening at the same time.

Having said that, it would be wrong to say there are not reasons to be hopeful here in Northern Ireland. The recent success of the Fields Good regenerative agriculture festival at Glenarm, the many positive stories and people I come across working for the Nature Friendly Farming Network (NFFN) and the success of schemes such as the Farming for Nature Ambassadors show the same values exist here. We also have the same pride in farming land worked by generations before, the drive to pass on something valuable and the passion to push farming in the direction of practices that enhance the environment we rely on. Whether it’s in Austria or Northern Ireland, we must keep pressing for the policies that will enable both farming and nature to thrive.