Matthias Raab from Pierbach was sworn in as the new Chamber of Agriculture councilor at the general assembly of the LK Upper Austria in Linz. After the previous LK councilor Christian Dumhard had terminated his functions prematurely, this position could again be filled with a candidate from the district of Freistadt.
Matthias Raab lives with his partner and three children in Pierbach, where he is also the chairman of the Farmers’ Union and a member of the municipal council. The 39-year-old manages a farm with cattle fattening and forestry. He is also self-employed as an excavator driver. In his new job as a lobbyist, Raab would like to focus on improving the framework conditions for farmers and urgent nature conservation issues: “The increasing number of wolf sightings and the overpopulation of beavers along our rivers and streams in the district urgently require solutions!”
For District Chamber of Farmers Mayor Martin Moser, an important step has been taken with the subsequent nomination of Raab. “With Johanna Miesenberger and Matthias Raab, we are well represented in the committees and in the general assembly of the Upper Austrian Chamber of Agriculture. Together we transport the concerns of the farmers in the Freistadt district to the top of agricultural policy.” With 2,600 MFA farms, the Freistadt district is one of the districts in Upper Austria with the most agricultural operations. Information is currently being provided particularly intensively at eleven events on the subject of the “Common Agricultural Policy 2023”.
High price and cost pressure
The current situation of a massive increase in the price of fertilizers and fuels is causing the agricultural politicians the greatest concern. The war in Ukraine dramatically aggravated the situation within a few days. “Farmers are about to start spring planting and are currently unable to order diesel for their farm filling stations due to an acceptance freeze. However, the massive price increases are not covered by the sale of meat and milk. On the contrary: With its discount campaigns, the food retail trade is making a massive contribution to the worsening of the situation among farmers,” says the district chairman of the Farmers’ Chamber, Martin Moser. He emphatically calls for the Ministry of Health to implement the labeling of origin, “so that consumers finally know where it comes from!”
Source: Nachrichten
