Austria: export important position of the dairy industry
According to VÖM, during the lockdown, when the catering and tourism sectors closed, there were above-average declines in imports. Apparently, cheap imported goods were increasingly used in the entry-level price range without special quality requirements. By far the most important foreign trade product of the domestic dairy industry is VÖM according to cheese, which in the reporting period also accounted for more than half of the volume in exports and imports.
The quality strategy adopted by the industry is also reflected in the average revenue, which at 4.22 euros per kilogram of cheese exported was well above the value of imported goods of 3.91 euros. The branch was also able to generate good added value with butter; A total of 3,600 t were sold at an average price of 4.78 euros / kg. On the import side, 14,000 t of butter came up, which was purchased for 4.17 per kilogram on average.
The imported goods were mainly used for further processing, as a private label of the trade in the supermarkets or in the wholesale for the catering trade. According to VÖM information, these are goods that do not meet Austrian quality standards such as guaranteed origin, GMO-free or high animal welfare and feeding criteria.
The most important foreign market for Austrian dairy products, which were delivered to a total of more than 100 countries in 2021, was Germany. The northern neighbor was also the largest supplier in this product group. VÖM President Helmut Petschar was pleased that Austrian quality is also in demand abroad: “The export of dairy products has made a significant contribution to stabilizing the Austrian dairy market, especially organic products and other high-quality, ready-made dairy products.”
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