Land use

Grain legumes (protein plants) were grown in an area of 24 400 ha, 2 811 ha (+13.0%) more than in 2009. With respect to root crops the cultivated area rose slightly by 711 ha (+1.1%) to 67 007 ha. Oil seed crops were planted on 146 087 ha, 12 063 ha (+9.0 %) more than in 2009. An increase of 6 767 ha (+9.0%) to 246 488 ha was observed for field fodder crops. The amount of fallow land further decreased by 3 311 ha (-7.3%) to 41 765 ha in 2010.

Methodological notes

The Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) was introduced in 1995 when Austria joined the EU. Under IACS, Agrarmarkt Austria collects detailed data by agricultural parcel on the cultivated area of individual field crops using the "multiple application". In 2010, this data was transferred to STATISTICS AUSTRIA where it was evaluated as secondary statistics, as has been the case since 1996. The results underwent thorough checks before they were published, and were revised and supplemented on the basis of expert estimates in areas (primarily in the vegetable, flower and ornamental plant sector) of undercoverage with respect to funding applications.

Since 2005, cultivated area has been evaluated on the basis of its actual location. Previously, cultivated area was only shown according to the business principle, i.e. the area was assigned to the federal province in which the farmer's place of business was located. This led to distortions in a number of provinces, such as between Burgenland and Lower Austria if, for example, Lower Austrian farmers farmed land in Burgenland and this land had therefore previously been assigned to Lower Austria according to the business principle.

Basic survey of areas under vine 2009

Since its accession to the European Union, Austria is obliged – under the terms of the Council Regulation (EEC) No. 357/79 of the Council of the European Communities – to carry out a statistical survey of areas under wine every 10 years. As a legal basis for the implementation of the survey, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management adopted a regulation – based on the Federal Statistics Act 2000, as amended – regarding the preparation of statistics concerning the areas under wine in 2009 (Weingartengrunderhebungsverordnung 2009), Federal Law Gazette II No. 244/2009 (available in German only). Therefore, after 1999 again a basic survey of areas under wine has been carried out for the reference day 31 July 2009.

As data sources the viticulture cadastre for the federal wine growing provinces Burgenland and Vienna as well as for the federal wine growing provinces Lower Austria and Styria the central wine database of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management were used. For the first time data from the Carinthian viticulture cadastre were considered; the respective data were electronically transmitted, checked related their plausibility and analysed. Statistics Austria obtained the data of the federal provinces Upper Austria, Salzburg, Tirol and Vorarlberg by sending out written questionnaires to vineyard cultivators.

In Austria a total area under wine of 45 533 ha was determined. This is 2 963 ha or 6.1% less than in the last survey in 1999. With an area of 27 184 ha or 59.7%, Lower Austria remains the largest wine growing federal province followed by Burgenland with 13 842 ha (30.4%), Styria with 3 867 ha (8.5%) and Vienna with 557 ha (1.2%). The remaining federal provinces recorded an area increase from 21 ha in 1999 to 82 ha in the survey carried out in 2009.

The trend towards larger holdings is also evident in this survey. Despite the decrease in holdings’ area under wine, the average size of holdings mounted up from 1.52 ha in 1999 to 2.26 ha.

In terms of area the wine growing region Neusiedlersee (Burgenland) with 7 649 ha or 55.3%, the wine growing area Weinviertel (Lower Austria) with 13 384 ha (49.2%) and the wine growing area Südsteiermark (Styria) with 2 066 ha (53.4%) are the largest in the respective federal province.

The reasons for the decrease in the areas under wine include the grubbing up of vineyards and land set-aside as a result of EU grubbing up measures as well as storms, frost damage and closure of holdings.

The long-term trend from white wine towards red wine is clearly confirmed in this survey as well. While the white wine acreage has decreased by 17.5% to 29 820 ha compared to 1999, the red wine acreage in turn increased by 27.2% to 15 713 ha.

The front-runner among Austrian grape varieties remains Grüner Veltliner with 13 519 ha or 45.3% of the white wine area followed by the red wine variety Zweigelt with 6 412 ha or 40.8% of the red wine area. Zweigelt also had the largest area increase within the grape varieties namely 47.4% compared to the last survey in 1999.

Considering the distribution of the grape varieties in the individual federal provinces, within white wine varieties Grüner Veltliner is also in the first place in Burgenland (1 473 ha), Lower Austria (11 886 ha) and Vienna (147 ha) whereas in Styria Welschriesling (658 ha) and in the remaining federal provinces Chardonnay (17 ha) are leading. In regard to red wines, the Zweigelt ranks first in Lower Austria (3 335 ha), Styria (377 ha) and Vienna (44 ha) while in Burgenland and in the remaining federal provinces, the Blaufränkisch (3 053 ha) and Blauer Burgunder (8 ha) are leading.

Comparing the age of the vines, the age group of 20 years and older records the highest share of the area under cultivation (53.3%), whereas the age groups 3 to 9 years and 10 to 19 years are proportionately similar (20% each). The age group under 3 years amounts to 4.1%. This new plantations are not productive yet and represent with 1 846 ha a significant share of the area under cultivation.