ORF-E
German
1 x 45 min
Worldwide

Eating seasonal products before their harvest – something we have long since become used to. Fruit at the beginning of each spring comes from the classic mass production countries in the south of Europe, and thanks to the dumping social conditions there, we do not have to pay more than for local fruit, despite the long transport. The imported fruits, trimmed to perfection in shape and appearance, continually displace local products, which sometimes have no chance against the products from the south according to these outward criteria. At the same time, global industrial agriculture increases the pressure on Austrian farmers to fit into the established world of prices. Fruits that do not find a buyer because they are not straight or not beautiful enough rot in local fields – environmentalists estimate that about 750 thousand tons of them end up in the garbage in Austria. Criticism of this overall system comes from various directions, including from the farming community. What does it take to raise the esteem for regionally produced fruit once again?