Chamber of Agriculture Vorarlberg

Chamber of Agriculture Vorarlberg (LK)
Seat of the Chamber of Agriculture in Bregenz . The building was designed by Willibald Braun in 1925/1926 with greatly simplified classical architectural elements.
State level	Country level , country
position	Legal representation of interests
legal form	Public corporation
At sight	Vorarlberg state government
founding	1911 as state culture council
Headquarters	Bregenz , Montfortstrasse 9
management	Josef Moosbrugger (President)
Website	Chamber of Agriculture Vorarlberg

The Chamber of Agriculture Vorarlberg (LK) is the legal representative of farmers and foresters in Vorarlberg . The Chamber of Agriculture is a public corporation and part of the umbrella organization: Presidential Conference of the Austrian Chambers of Agriculture . The Vorarlberg Chamber of Agriculture is part of the social partnership that was established after the end of the Second World War , together with the other chambers of agriculture in the other federal states in Austria and with the Chamber of Commerce, Chamber of Labor and the Federation of Trade Unions .

history

After an organization of farmers was founded in Styria in 1819 (based on models in France , England and Germany ), Tyrol and Vorarlberg followed in 1838. The main task was to promote state culture. The representation of interests and professional status was only rudimentary.

On August 3, 1862, an agricultural association for Vorarlberg was founded.

In 1911 a regional culture council was founded in Vorarlberg (law of June 28, 1911. In Tyrol as early as 1881, Upper Austria 1886, Lower Austria 1905, Carinthia 1910). The state culture council is a direct pre-organization of the Vorarlberg Chamber of Agriculture.

Through the law on the establishment of the Chamber of Farmers (1923), the state cultural council was converted into a public body.

From 1923 onwards, the individual regional organizations jointly formed the President's Conference of the Agricultural Corporations Austria . With the annexation to the Third Reich , the President's Conference was dissolved in 1938 and replaced by the Reichsnährstand .

With the state law of December 4, 1935 on the establishment of the profession of agriculture and forestry in the state of Vorarlberg , the Vorarlberg Chamber of Farmers was established in execution of Article I of the Federal Act on the establishment of the profession of agriculture and forestry of July 13, 1935 (in short: chamber of Agriculture created a direct predecessor of the Vorarlberg chamber of Agriculture) as a public body with legal personality. The task was to take care of the tasks of the Vorarlberger Bauernbund in economic terms . This farmer's chamber only existed from 1935 to 1938.

After the Second World War, the Vorarlberg Chamber of Agriculture was re-established in 1949, initially according to the legal situation of March 5, 1934.

organization

Task, purpose

The Chamber of Agriculture is appointed to represent and promote agriculture and forestry as well as the economic, professional, social and cultural interests of those working in agriculture and forestry (a combined employer and employee representation).

The tasks of the Chamber of Agriculture in Vorarlberg are divided into a separate and a transferred sphere of activity.

Own sphere of activity

According to Section 6 (1) in conjunction with Section 7 of the Chamber of Agriculture Act, the company's own area of ​​activity includes in particular

• Representing the interests of general agriculture and forestry and the members of the Chamber of Agriculture,
• Promotion of agriculture and forestry
• Promoting the economic, professional, social and cultural interests of its members,
• Hearing on draft laws that could directly or indirectly affect the interests of agriculture and forestry as well as agricultural and forestry employers or employees
• as well as all other matters that are assigned to the Chamber of Agriculture by law or ordinance of the state or the federal government to take care of its own sphere of activity.

The matters of one's own sphere of activity are to be dealt with on the basis of the laws and ordinances of the state under the supervision of the state government, but free of instructions from state organs.

Transferred scope

The transferred sphere of activity comprises the matters that the Chamber of Agriculture has to deal with on the basis of the laws and ordinances of the state or the federal government on behalf of and according to the instructions of the state (the state government) or the federal government .

structure

The Chamber of Agriculture is divided into the section of farmers and foresters (entrepreneurs) and the section of agricultural and forestry employees.

Members

Membership in the chambers of agriculture is regulated by state law. According to § 5 of the Vorarlberg Chamber of Agriculture Act, members of the chambers of agriculture are z. B .:

• The owners of land used for agriculture and forestry,
• Operator of an agriculture or forestry (arable farming, grassland and alpine farming, animal breeding, animal husbandry and dairy farming, wine, fruit, vegetable and horticulture, mushroom cultivation, beekeeping, forestry, operation of a tree nursery, hunting, fishing industry, auxiliary and ancillary businesses) ,
• Family members if they work full-time in these companies,
• Agricultural and forestry trade and business cooperatives and their executives,
• Employees in agricultural and forestry businesses (including seasonal workers to a limited extent).

Membership is compulsory, similar to the other chambers. The chamber members have the right to vote within the chamber, where elections of individual members are provided. Above all, this is the election to the General Assembly, which takes place every five years. In 2013 around 16,000 people were members of the Vorarlberg Chamber of Agriculture.

Chamber organs

According to § 15 of the Chamber of Agriculture Act, the organs of the Chamber of Agriculture are:

• the general assembly,
• the Section Assembly of Farmers and Foresters,
• the section assembly of agricultural and forestry employees,
• the joint committee,
• the control committee,
• the presidium,
• the president.

General Assembly

The General Assembly is the supreme body of the Vorarlberg Chamber of Agriculture. According to Section 16 of the Chamber of Agriculture Act, the General Assembly consists of 19 members (Chamber of Agriculture officials / chamber councilors). Elections to the Chamber of Agriculture take place directly, freely and secretly according to the principles of proportional representation, but separately for the electoral body of farmers and foresters and the electoral body of agricultural and forestry employees.

14 candidates are elected in the electoral body of farmers and foresters (entrepreneurs) and five in the electoral body of agricultural and forestry employees (unequal weighted class voting rights ).

According to Section 16 (4) of the Chamber of Agriculture Act, the General Assembly is responsible for all matters falling within the Chamber of Agriculture’s own sphere of activity, unless they are expressly reserved for other organs of the Chamber of Agriculture by law or ordinance.

The General Assembly currently has 16 members of the ÖVP sub-organization Bauernbund and three members of the FPÖ- affiliated “Freedom and Independent Farmers Vorarlberg”. Social Democrats, Liberals and Greens are not represented. This roughly corresponds to the ratio that has been achieved in chamber elections for decades. Of the 19 chamber officials, 17 are men and two are women.

Technical committees

According to Section 16 (5) of the Agricultural Chamber Act, the plenary assembly can form specialist committees for preliminary advice . A committee consists of at least five members, of which at least four must belong to the section of farmers and foresters and at least one member must belong to the section of agricultural and forestry employees.

There are currently 11 committees:

• Committee for mountain farmers and alpine farming (seven committee members),
• Committee for Business Administration and Compensation (six committee members),
• Forest and Hunting Committee (five committee members),
• International Relations Committee (five committee members),
• Youth and Education Committee (four committee members),
• Dairy Committee (eight committee members),
• Human Resources and Finance Committee (six committee members),
• Crop Production Committee (three committee members),
• Committee for Social Affairs and Operational Aid (four committee members),
• Environment, Organic Production and Marketing Committee (six committee members),
• Livestock Committee (six committee members).

Advisory members are assigned to each committee. There are also two committees that are mandatory by law: the joint committee and the control committee (see below).

Duties and rights of the Chamber of Agriculture officials

The Chamber of Agriculture officials (chamber councilors) work on a voluntary basis in accordance with Section 14 of the Chamber of Agriculture Act for the benefit of the members and the chamber.

Section and Section Assembly of Farmers and Foresters

According to Section 17 (1) of the Chamber of Agriculture Act, the section of farmers and foresters consists of those members who are entitled to vote in the electoral body of farmers and foresters . The section is a separate legal entity.

The section assembly consists of the members of the plenary assembly elected from the electoral body of farmers and foresters .

Section and Section Assembly of Agricultural and Forestry Employees

According to Section 18 (1) of the Chamber of Agriculture Act, the section of agricultural and forestry employees consists of those members who are entitled to vote in the electoral body of agricultural and forestry employees .

The section is a separate legal entity.

The section assembly consists of the members of the general assembly elected from the electoral body of agricultural and forestry employees .

Joint committee

The parity committee of the Vorarlberg Chamber of Agriculture consists of the president as chairman and five members of each section assembly (thus eleven people).

The task is the independent and final decision on other matters of §§ 17 para. 3 lit. b and 18 para. 3 lit. b Agricultural Chamber Act, which exclusively or predominantly affects the interests of the members of a section of employers and employees and if one of the two sections requests assignment to the joint committee.

Control committee

The control committee monitors the chamber's financial management with regard to the numerical correctness, legality, economy, economy and expediency of the management of the chamber of agriculture.The control committee is elected by the plenary assembly from among its members for the duration of its term of office and consists of at least five members (currently: six members), both sections must be represented.

Bureau

The Presidium of the Vorarlberg Chamber of Agriculture consists of the President and the two Vice-Presidents.

The tasks of the presidium are assigned to it by an ordinance of the general assembly.

president

The President is elected by the constituent assembly in accordance with Section 12 (2) of the Agricultural Chamber Act. The first vice-president is elected on the proposal of the section of farmers and foresters and the second vice-president on the proposal of the section of agricultural and forestry employees. Only Austrian citizens can be elected as President or Vice President.

The President of the Vorarlberg Chamber of Agriculture represents the chamber externally and runs the business. He is the director of the Chamber Office. He is responsible for the observance of the legal regulations, the observance of the rules of procedure and the implementation of the resolutions and has to deal with the matters of the transferred sphere of activity.

According to Section 16 (8) of the Agricultural Chamber Act, the General Assembly has the right to remove the President and Vice-Presidents by resolution if this is requested in writing by at least one third of the Chamber Councils and supported by a majority of two thirds of all members of the General Assembly.

Other facilities

Chamber Office

The business of the chamber organs is carried out by the chamber office. The Chamber Office is led by the Chamber Office Director in subordination to the President .

Technical and local auxiliary bodies

To advise the organs of the Chamber of Agriculture, the General Assembly can appoint advisory boards for specialist matters or matters that affect certain groups of people in accordance with Section 24 (1) of the Agriculture Chamber Act .

According to Section 24 (2) of the Agricultural Chamber Act, the Chamber of Agriculture has to set up an organization for female professionals (farmers' organization) to represent and represent their interests .

According to Section 24 (3) of the Agricultural Chamber Act, the Chamber of Agriculture can call in professional associations.

Seat

The seat of the Chamber of Agriculture is currently in the state capital Bregenz .

financing

Contributions

The tasks of the Chamber of Agriculture are to be carried out according to the principles of lawfulness, economy, economy and expediency. The Vorarlberg Chamber of Agriculture finances itself:

• through contributions from members (Section 27 of the Chamber of Agriculture Act),
• Contributions to costs for services (Section 28 of the Chamber of Agriculture Act),
• Reimbursement of costs by the state (Section 28a of the Chamber of Agriculture Act),

In 2013 there was a directly reported financial requirement of around 5.4 million euros (100%). Of these:

• EUR 670,000 (around 12.5%) through chamber levies (contributions from members),
• EUR 1,080,000 (around 20%) through services provided,
• EUR 3,200,000 (around 60%) through a grant from the state of Vorarlberg, and
• EUR 400,000 (around 7.5%) through a grant from the federal government,

covered.

Tax relief

According to Section 11 of the Chamber of Agriculture Act, the Chamber of Agriculture is exempt from state and municipal administration fees, and with regard to all other taxes based on state law, the Chamber of Agriculture is on an equal footing with the municipalities .

At sight

Although the Chamber of Agriculture is a self-governing body, it is nevertheless subject to supervision by the Vorarlberg state government in accordance with Section 29 of the Chamber of Agriculture Act with regard to performing its tasks in its own sphere of activity .

In the transferred sphere of activity, the Vorarlberg Chamber of Agriculture is bound by the instructions of the state government.

Organ of publication

The Vorarlberg Chamber of Agriculture publishes its own newspaper for its members: “Our Ländle”. This is a journal for rural areas.

The Vorarlberg Chamber of Agriculture and Ländle Qualitätsprodukte Marketing GmbH jointly publish the magazine luag . It is a consumer magazine. This magazine appears four times a year as a supplement to a weekend edition of the Vorarlberger Nachrichten and should have a reach of 80,000 households.

Web links

• Vorarlberg Chamber of Agriculture
• Portal of the Austrian Chambers of Agriculture
• Entry on the Vorarlberg Chamber of Agriculture in the Austria Forum  (in the AEIOU Austria Lexicon )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Section 1, Paragraph 1 of the Act on the Chamber of Agriculture for the State of Vorarlberg (Chamber of Agriculture Act), LGBl. No. 59/1995.
2. ↑ Entered in the register of associations under ZVR number 729518421 . The President's Conference is organized as an association under private law and, in accordance with Art. 10 para. 1, no. 8 B-VG no right of intervention against the chambers at state level. In the external presentation, the regional chambers and the presidential conference appear as the Austrian Chamber of Agriculture .
3. ↑ See e.g. B. Section 7 (3) of the Chamber of Agriculture Act.
4. ↑ LGBl. No. 13.
5. ↑ LGBl. 37/1935.
6. ↑ Federal Law Gazette: 304/1935
7. ↑ Section 33 (1) of the State Law of December 4, 1935 on the establishment of the profession of agriculture and forestry in the state of Vorarlberg .
8. ↑ Section 33 (2) of the State Law of December 4, 1935 on the establishment of the profession of agriculture and forestry in the state of Vorarlberg .
9. ↑ LGBl. No. 38.
10. ↑ Section 2 (1) of the Chamber of Agriculture Act.
11. ↑ § 6 Chamber of Agriculture Act.
12. ↑ § 7 Paragraph 1 lit. a Chamber of Agriculture Act.
13. ↑ § 7 Paragraph 1 lit. b Chamber of Agriculture Act.
14. ↑ § 7 Paragraph 1 lit. c Chamber of Agriculture Act.
15. ↑ § 9 Chamber of Agriculture Act.
16. ↑ Section 6 (1) of the Chamber of Agriculture Act.
17. ↑ Section 6 (2) of the Chamber of Agriculture Act.
18. ↑ Section 1, Paragraph 2 of the Chamber of Agriculture Act.
19. ↑ See Section 4, Paragraph 1 of the Chamber of Agriculture Act.
20. ↑ See also § 34 f of the Chamber of Agriculture Act.
21. ↑ § 16 Chamber of Agriculture Act.
22. ↑ Section 17 (2) of the Chamber of Agriculture Act.
23. ↑ Section 17 (4) of the Chamber of Agriculture Act.
24. ↑ Section 18 (2) of the Chamber of Agriculture Act.
25. ↑ Section 18 (4) of the Chamber of Agriculture Act.
26. ↑ Section 19 (1) of the Chamber of Agriculture Act.
27. ↑ § 20 Chamber of Agriculture Act
28. ↑ Section 21 (1) of the Chamber of Agriculture Act.
29. ↑ Section 22 of the Chamber of Agriculture Act.
30. ↑ § 23 Chamber of Agriculture Act.
31. ↑ Section 1 (5) of the Chamber of Agriculture Act.
32. ↑ Section 2, Paragraph 2 of the Chamber of Agriculture Act.
33. ↑ Unser Ländle ( Memento of the original from November 2, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. on-line.