EU agriculture officials urge preventive action as Austrian drought deepens

Austria’s SPÖ farmers’ association, led by Michael Schwarzlmüller, warned that the ongoing drought is pushing farms to the brink and that short‑term aid packages act only like fire extinguishers. The group called for a shift toward preventive measures such as retaining water in the landscape, rebuilding humus, planting trees and hedgerows, strengthening regional water cycles and reducing reliance on fossil fuels and synthetic fertilizers.

In Brussels, Manfred Weber, leader of the European People’s Party in the European Parliament, said the EU’s new deforestation and nature‑restoration regulations must be made practical and adequately funded. He referenced a recent letter from Bavarian agriculture minister Michaela Kaniber and EU minister Eric Beißwenger criticizing the rules, and stressed that the EU should avoid importing products linked to deforestation, while ensuring forest owners are not burdened with extra bureaucracy.