First study trip to Austria on 8 November 2017

Within the "AgriShort" project, REDEA ltd. organized the first study trip to Austria, more precisely in the region of Burgenland. The study trip was organizes for representatives of the institutions and services in the agri - food sector and agricultural producers from Hungary and Croatia. The main objective of the study trip was to visit examples of good practice related to short food supply chains during which study trip participants could get firsthand information regarding the operation process of various concepts of SFSCs established in Austria.
At the beginning of the study trip, participants from Croatia had the opportunity to visit the local products store in Pöllauer, where 160 farmers from the region directly sell a wide range of their products which are traditional for that specific area. At the rustic inn in Kleinhöflein the participants had a traditional Austrian lunch prepared exclusively from the foodstuffs produced at the local farms. After lunch, the Head of the Agricultural Marketing Department at the Agricultural Chamber of Austria, Mr. Christian Jochum held a presentation during which he introduced the operation area of the Agricultural Chamber, and also gave an overview of the agri – food production of Austria and how farms place their products on the market. After the presentation, participants of the study tour visited Singer fruit farm which grows various types of fruit and processes them in to juices, vinegars, ciders and dried fruits. At the end of the study visit the participants visited the tavern of the family Windisch which besides catering, is involved in production of various meat products and wines.
Parallel with the Croatian group, Hungarian participants at the begining of their study tour visited Hofer store in Ritzing which is known for local products which are produced exclusively in the region. Participants from Hungary also had a chance to try homemade products in the rustic tavern at Kleinhöflein. At the Austrian Chamber of Agriculture, Mr. Christian Jochum also held a presentation for Hungarian participants of the study tour during which he emphasized that in Austria 27% of the farms market their products directly generating 34% of the total income of the agri-food sector. In the context of direct sales, the most significant is the direct sell at agricultural holdings (77 %) followed by delivery to the customer's home (18 %) and delivery to gastronomy (16 %). After the presentation Hungarian group visited Fruitfarm Sonnenobst Habeler in Wiesen where the owners presented their products which includes fresh fruit (berries, stonefruit, apples, pears), liqueurs, juices.
REDEA ltd. is the leading beneficiary in the project "Establishing Short Food Supply Chains and Competitive Agricultural Sector in Cross-border Region through Institutional Cooperation", financed by the Interreg V-A Hungary-Croatia Co-operation Program 2014-2020. Also, within the project in the forthcoming period, special education will be organized for representatives of institutions and services of the agri - food sector and also agricultural producers, during which participants will have the opportunity to acquire specific knowledge on the concept of short food supply chains.

The presentation presented at the study tour can be viewed in the "Downloads" section of the website.

Photos taken at the study tour are available in the "Gallery".