Initial situation
With the "measures" that the federal government has taken to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus, the food supply of the population, and thus the food value chain, has moved to centre stage through the responsibility of the LMBG (Food Management Act) in the department. The food production value chain in Austria is basically organised in a very division of labour. Agricultural primary production is embedded in upstream and downstream economic sectors. Upstream are inputs such as seeds, plant protection products and fertilisers, the animal feed industry, agricultural machinery, the veterinary sector as well as fuels and energy. The business relations from the upstream sector to agriculture run via direct contacts of the companies, but often via the warehouse cooperatives and private agricultural trade. In the downstream sector, the food industry and trade, the food retail trade, the dairy, meat and milling industry, the bakery trade, the fruit, sugar and starch industry are particularly worth mentioning. In addition to the aforementioned division of labour in Austria, there is another dimension, namely that of agricultural foreign trade. Austria has a negative foreign trade balance in customs chapters 1-24 (primary agricultural production and processed food), which means that more agricultural products are imported than exported in terms of value. Bottlenecks can occur along the food production value chain, which can also lead to bottlenecks in food production in the short term in the event of crises or market disposals.
Objective
Support for the crisis team on the LMBG (Food Management Act) in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management (BMLRT) on scenarios for the vulnerability of the Austrian food supply to crises due to the consequences of Covid-19 on the basis of data processing (agricultural foreign trade, supply balances); presentation of the most important food value chains (e.g. milk and dairy products, vegetables and foodstuffs). Milk and dairy products, vegetables and potatoes, fruit, eggs, meat (bark/pork/poultry), cereals, oilseeds and the important upstream areas of feed, seed and fertiliser; supply and economic efficiency calculations for primary production and in the upstream and downstream areas of agriculture; collaboration in the "Future Operations" project of the State Crisis and Disaster Management Coordination Group on the topic of data models.
Work carried out in 2020
- Preparation of agricultural foreign trade data and intersection with supply balances.
- Weekly update of the meat fact sheet for beef and pork.
- Sector analyses for fertilisers and pesticides as well as seeds, eggs, meat (beef, pork, poultry), animal feed, vegetables, cereals and oilseeds, milk and milk products and fruit.
- Results were presented in a webinar on 7 May 2020 entitled: "Scenarios on the crisis vulnerability of the Austrian food supply due to the consequences of Covid-19".
- Ongoing preparatory work for the crisis team at the BMLRT.
Work carried out in 2021
- Preparation of a methodology for the calculation of indirect loss compensation for agricultural primary production (by sector)
- Calculation of loss compensation for the sectors 4th quarter 2020 and 1st quarter 2021 as well as forecasts for the 1st quarter 2022:
o Breeding sow husbandry
o Pig fattening
o Laying hen husbandry (floor husbandry)
o Table potatoes
o Seed potatoes
- Ongoing work for the crisis team in the BMLRT (as necessary)
Planned work 2022
- Carrying out calculations for loss compensation
- Depending on requests from the crisis team in the BMLRT
Schedule
Project start: March 2020
Project end: currently not foreseeable
