ABSTRACT
Agriculture in Austria is largely determined by its alpine topography. As a result, a large part of the Utilised agricultural area is permanent grassland, with alpine pastures covering another 8% of Austria's total land area. Before 1995, agri-environmental policy operated exclusively under a national policy-making framework. Osterreichisches Programm fur Umwelt und Landwirtschaft (OPUL) has the most complex set of agri-environmental measures in the European Union. Some measures target all agricultural land in Austria, while others specifically target grassland and arable areas. Although OPUL I more or less fulfilled its initial objective of maintaining extensive and environmentally friendly farming methods, the extensification of intensive farming systems will have to be developed further. This indicates that continuous efforts will have to be made to further optimise what is already an ambitious programme in order to realise a sustainable, environmentally sound agriculture throughout the entire country.
