AMA inspection

“Every cow has its very own character”

Matthias Fröschl from AMA Quality Management during the inspection.

(Bild: Wenzel Markus)

Around 22,000 dairy farms in Austria are part of the AMA quality seal program and are closely inspected once a year. The "Krone" was allowed to attend an inspection in the Eferding Basin and look over the inspector's shoulder as he went about his work.

A white protective suit and blue disposable shoe covers are mandatory for Matthias Fröschl when he visits a farm. Over the past three years, he has taken a closer look at around a thousand farms throughout Austria as an inspector - he now works in quality management at AMA-Marketing in the dairy farm sector.

Farm is closed in an emergency
During a local Krone inspection at the Greinöcker family farm in the Eferding Basin, he slipped back into his old role. "An inspection often serves as a reminder for improvements. Serious deviations are very rare, I personally only had one. There really was a fire on the roof. In an emergency, we can have a farm blocked for AMA delivery," explains Fröschl during a tour of the barn.

Farmer Christine Greinöcker at her daily work.

(Bild: Wenzel Markus)

Visual inspection
During the visual inspection for the "Tierhaltung plus" seal of approval, he focuses on the general physical condition of the 40 dairy cows, the condition of their coats and hooves, as well as the two mandatory ear tags. "The condition of the cubicle is also checked, as the cow spends most of its time lying around. A scratching brush for the animals is also mandatory," says Fröschl as he ticks off this point on his checklist.

A scratching brush is mandatory.

(Bild: Wenzel Markus)

A maximum of 24 hours' notice
The next route takes him to the milking area and the milk storage room. "The milk is collected every two days and taken to the dairy," explains farmer Christian Greinöcker. The final part of the program is the document check. "This involves checking whether the feed supplied is really GMO-free and looking at the livestock movement certificates," says Fröschl. On average, the annual inspection takes one to one and a half hours and is announced a maximum of 24 hours in advance. However, if there are any suspicions, the inspector can also visit the farm unannounced. In this case, this is not necessary, as no claims were found.

AMA seal of quality

For the AMA seal of quality, the milk must be milked and processed in Austria. In addition, various regulations regarding feed, animal husbandry, barn facilities, milking equipment, milk storage, cleaning and hygiene must be complied with. GMO-free feeding is a prerequisite for raw milk that is processed into dairy products. Around 22,000 dairy farms in Austria are in the AMA Quality Seal program, 55 percent of which are run as part-time businesses.

The couple is already used to the inspections: "Last fall, the official veterinarian was there and took blood samples from the animals. We really enjoy our work. Each cow not only has its own name, but also its own personal character," says Christian, who took over his parents' farm in 2009 and grew up with cows. In 2020, the farm was finally converted into a free-range barn with 40 dairy cows.