Prison sentence looms

Will exposing animal cruelty be banned in future?

Austria has the highest standards in livestock farming. Nevertheless, cases of animal cruelty continue to emerge that can bring an entire industry into disrepute.

(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Time and again, images of shocking abuses in livestock farming reach the public. It is important that these photos come to light so that awareness and remedial action can be taken. But now the law could be tightened to make these revelations a punishable offense. 

There could hardly be more conflicting interests than those of the farming community and animal rights activists. In the middle is the consumer, who wants to eat a cheap schnitzel but is outraged by every new scandal in factory farming. 

But would anything ever change if people turned a blind eye to the abuses that have been highlighted? The "Verein gegen Tierfabriken" (VGT) regularly receives footage from stables, which is also published in cases of suspected animal cruelty. The aim is to show what some would prefer to sweep under the carpet. 

Naturally, this is a thorn in the side of farmers. Last August, the young Styrian farmers caused a stir with their "Stop barn break-ins!" campaign - and received lively support from stakeholders. "Nobody wants strangers to break into their living room at night. Our pigsties are no different," says Kurt Tauschmann, chairman of a pig farmers' association.

Does the end justify the means?
There is talk of barn doors being broken open, hidden cameras and circling drones - this is no longer a trivial offense in the eyes of the law. For some years now, politicians have been working on a proposal to extend the section of the Criminal Code against trespassing, which provides for two years in prison for covert filming in the barns of agricultural businesses.

Recorded images from a farm revealed: The animals are sick and suffering.

(Bild: VGT.at)

The animal rights activists of the VGT are now - justifiably - afraid that this plan will be put into practice under a black-blue government at the behest of the farmers. "Again and again, abuses and cruelty to animals in animal factories are uncovered by secret filming - this is a thorn in the side of the FPÖ, nobody should know about animal suffering," the association writes in a press release. 

Protest action with symbolic power
On Wednesday morning, the VGT activists want to present a picture gallery with images of pigs on fully slatted floors in front of parliament. An activist dressed as "People's Chancellor" Herbert Kickl will disrupt the animal protection rally and attempt to prevent the exposure of animal suffering. 

The VGT will continue to stand by the publication of images from stables and sees it as an opportunity to inform consumers without censorship. There should continue to be room for this in our society. VGT chairman Martin Balluch sees it as an important task that "the animal industry is deliberately undermining and trying to prevent."