Remediation of Emergencies in Agriculture

The funding initiative for alleviating emergencies in agriculture supports agricultural enterprises in Upper Austria that are threatened in their existence due to unavoidable emergencies. Support is provided for situations resulting from severe illness, physical incapacity, or death within the family, accidents affecting livestock, existentially threatening, non-insurable natural events, financial bottlenecks, or the outbreak of a harmful organism. Eligible applicants are operators of agricultural enterprises based in Upper Austria. The type of funding is a non-repayable grant, and applications can be submitted at any time. A prerequisite for funding is proof of the agricultural enterprise’s location in Upper Austria as well as the unavoidable emergency. For application submission, among other documents, the fully completed funding application, the agricultural and forestry unit value assessment, income proofs, and, if applicable, credit and damage evidence must be provided.

The processing and approval are carried out by the Office of the Upper Austrian State Government, Directorate for Regional Planning, Economic and Rural Development, Department of Agriculture and Forestry. A comprehensive review of the economic and social situation is conducted based on the submitted documents or an on-site inspection. For interest subsidies, an evaluation of the operational development may take place up to two years after disbursement. The aim of the measure is to unbureaucratically cushion existential crises in agriculture and to secure the long-term continuation of the enterprises. The annual budget volume amounts to approximately 0.12 million euros, and the funding has been granted indefinitely since the start of the period in October 2013.