Naturland welcomes new international Delegate
Naturland e. V. has a new international Delegate: Franz Bernhofer from Austria was elected with a total majority of 72,8 %. As the number of international members has increased in 2022, it was necessary to elect one more international Delegate.
Out of ten highly suitable applicants, Franz Bernhofer made it. He is a graduated farmer and forester and currently manages the Winklergut in Scheffau together with his family. The farm covers an area of 112 ha, with 4.5 ha of agricultural land leased additionally.
Before taking over the farm in 2004, he was employed by an international company for seventeen years, seven of which he was department manager. This allowed him to travel to many countries in Europe and thus contributed significantly to his personal development. He furthermore is a state prize winner in the field of forestry (2012) and since 2013 he holds the golden medal for distinguished service of the federal state of Salzburg. Since 2010 he furthermore is the deputy chairman of the SalzburgMilch cooperative. Since 1st February 2023 he is a member of Naturland.
Naturland members produce organic food in more than 60 countries around the world. These numerous international members are represented by volunteers from each continent: the international Delegates. The Delegates are elected at regular intervals, with the number of international Delegates depending on the number of international members. The second place in this year’s election went to Dr. Thomas Jacob (India). Should the number of international members increase by the end of this year to such an extent that the statutes allow for another international delegate, Dr. Thomas Jacob will move up, provided he is still available.
At present there are eight international Delegates representing the interests and concerns of the members from the individual countries: Jan Bernhard (Peru), who is the spokesperson for the team, Arvind Narula (Thailand), Patricia Matto (Peru), Nicodemus Bamuhangaine (Uganda), Dr. Ahmed Sief El-Nasr (Egypt), Zeno Piatti-Fünfkirchen (Austria), Mehmet Cetin (Turkey) and the new Delegate Franz Bernhofer (Austria).
