diff --git a/SConstruct b/SConstruct
index d0ba26b3be..0e7c571b79 100644
--- a/SConstruct
+++ b/SConstruct
@@ -745,6 +745,9 @@ libraries['flac'].Append(CCFLAGS="-I/usr/local/include", LINKFLAGS="-L/usr/local
 conf = Configure (libraries['flac'])
 if conf.CheckLib ('FLAC', 'FLAC__seekable_stream_decoder_set_read_callback', language='CXX'):
     conf.env.Append(CCFLAGS='-DHAVE_FLAC')
+    use_flac = False
+else:
+    use_flac = True
 libraries['flac'] = conf.Finish ()
 
 # or if that fails...
@@ -1085,7 +1088,7 @@ env = conf.Finish()
 if env['NLS'] == 1:
     env.Append(CCFLAGS="-DENABLE_NLS")
 
-Export('env install_prefix final_prefix config_prefix final_config_prefix libraries i18n ardour_version subst_dict')
+Export('env install_prefix final_prefix config_prefix final_config_prefix libraries i18n ardour_version subst_dict use_flac')
 
 #
 # the configuration file may be system dependent
diff --git a/libs/libsndfile/SConscript b/libs/libsndfile/SConscript
index 9e8ccc93f7..3508a6994e 100644
--- a/libs/libsndfile/SConscript
+++ b/libs/libsndfile/SConscript
@@ -6,9 +6,10 @@ import glob
 
 sndfile_files = glob.glob('src/*.c') + glob.glob('src/GSM610/*.c') + glob.glob('src/G72x/*.c')
 
-Import('env install_prefix libraries')
+Import('env install_prefix libraries use_flac')
 sndfile = env.Copy()
-sndfile.Merge([libraries['flac'] ])
+if use_flac:
+    sndfile.Merge([libraries['flac'] ])
 
 domain = 'libsndfile'