A five-point resilience plan that prioritises the safe supply of food and includes a call to reform the Food Management Act was unveiled by Agriculture Minister Norbert Totschnig on Wednesday.
The food supply situation in Austria is currently secure, Totschnig stressed at the Austrian Council of Ministers on Wednesday.
According to the report, the country can continue to supply itself with sufficient high-quality food, energy and feed prices were on a downward trend, but nevertheless, challenges would remain.
“And in order to prepare ourselves as best as possible for any crises, we have drawn up a five-point plan,” Totschnig announced.
There will be €5 million in support for food processing companies to invest in resilience measures, and the government is also raising funds for research on renewable resources, climate change, and food security.
Furthermore, investment subsidies for agriculture and forestry will strengthen their resilience, including incentives for expanding direct marketing.
The Food Management Act, which provides the framework for food supply in the event of a crisis, is to be amended by autumn. To be prepared for all eventualities, the contingency plans of the Agriculture Ministry are to be adapted to the current threats, it was announced, as APA reported.
Totschnig also wants to pay attention to the drinking water supply because of longer periods of drought. At the moment, supply is secure, but to be prepared for supra-regional bottlenecks, he wants to invite the federal states to exchange experiences within the framework of a “drinking water summit”.
(Chiara Swaton | EURACTIV.de)
Source: euractiv.com
