Retail chains in favor

Our food: when do we take a stand?

The product on the shelf should clearly show how the animal was kept. For example, keeping chickens in cages is prohibited here. Nevertheless, imported eggs from this type of farming can be found in processed foods such as carnival doughnuts.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Stock Adobe)

Mandatory labeling could change a lot. However, all experts need to come to the table to ensure that farm animals really do have better living conditions, and not just new signs on supermarket shelves. 

A standardized system has already been considered several times in recent years to give us consumers an active decision-making option in the supermarket. For many people, the saying "You are what you eat" is not just an empty phrase; they are genuinely interested in the conditions under which the animal they buy meat or milk from has lived.

The question is: do I want to eat a steak from a cow that has spent its entire life in a closed barn on a hard, fully slatted floor? Or am I prepared to buy an organic product that shows me at a glance that the pig was able to lie on straw and was even allowed to go outside?

Whether pigs - but also cattle - lead a good life on fully slatted floors will also be a question for the next government.

(Bild: agrarmotive)

Consumers want more transparency 
One thing is clear: better husbandry also costs more money! There are currently many animal welfare programs with different labels in the retail sector, and this is exactly what causes confusion. What does which label mean? Many consumers are confused.

A standardized system would finally create clarity. Anyone who wants to buy products from better husbandry conditions should be able to recognize this at first glance - without a lot of guesswork in the supermarket. More transparency means more conscious purchasing decisions - and a chance for better animal welfare.

It works for our neighbors
In Germany, there is already a standardized system for animal welfare labelling. It clearly shows how an animal was kept - and this has consequences. Products from poorer husbandry systems are increasingly being removed from the range, while the demand for more animal-friendly alternatives is increasing. Consumers are making more conscious decisions and this improves conditions for the animals in the long term.

In Austria, too, this would be the only way forward. After all, Austrian food production cannot score points with quantity, it is too small for that. It only has a chance if it produces at the very highest level of quality. This clearly includes animal husbandry. In order to make this quality visible, however, transparency is needed - and for this, livestock farming labeling is absolutely essential.

New government must get it off the ground
However, despite all the announcements made by the last government, all the initiatives can be described as "well hung", as little has really happened on the part of the actors involved. Back in January of last year, the Ministry of Health commissioned a consulting firm to draw up a concept.

The results were presented in the first half of 2024 - but the process stagnated again afterwards. And so the next government is now faced with the challenge of developing a system that meets the needs of agriculture, consumers and animals. Not an easy task, as the issue of animal husbandry is very complex and could cause tensions between the SPÖ and ÖVP.

Fierce price war
Agriculture in Austria has a small-scale structure. Our farmers only have a chance of survival if they produce high-quality products. The Mercosur agreement puts them in an even tougher price war. They cannot compete with continents such as South America, where the requirements for animal husbandry or the use of pesticides are not nearly as strict as they are here. Consumers and the large retail chains (see voices below) are rightly demanding transparency when it comes to our food.

And above all, it is about strengthening our farmers and the economy, but also about keeping the added value in our country. Austrians should think about this every time they reach for the shelf!

Hofer

Marietta Schorn

We are committed to greater transparency: By 2030, we will convert our entire fresh meat range to animal welfare-improved husbandry. With our own brands "Zurück zum Ursprung" and "FairHOF", we already exceed the Austrian quality standards for meat production in the areas of sustainability, regionality and animal welfare. 

Marietta Schorn is a member of the Management Board at Hofer Austria.

(Bild: Hofer)

REWE-Gruppe 

Marcel Haraszti

We welcome a common husbandry label in the industry. However, we are not in favor of the lowest common denominator, but of a credible and sustainable system for consumers. This must provide the customer with full transparency across all husbandry classes.

REWE boss Marcel Haraszti manages major brands such as Billa and Penny.

(Bild: REWE Group)

Spar 

Nicole Berkmann

We think it's important to have a farming label. That's why we've been a member of the group working on what such voluntary labeling could look like right from the start. It's not easy because many requirements from producers, retailers and agriculture have to be reconciled.

Nicole Berkmann comments on the topic for SPAR.

(Bild: 31plus)

Lidl Österreich

Michael Kunz

In addition to expanding our animal welfare range, we are actively campaigning for the introduction of a voluntary, industry-wide husbandry compass for animal-based foods. It is important that this offers real added value. At the same time, it should not overburden the value chain, especially at the start.

Michael Kunz manages Lidl in Austria.

(Bild: Lidl Österreich)

Gastkommentar von Hannes Royer (Gründer von „Land schafft Leben“ und Bio-Bergbauer)

Klare Kennzeichnung für ehrliche Transparenz!

As a farmer, I know how my animals live - I experience this first-hand every day. As a consumer in the supermarket, I often don't know that. There are a lot of labels on foods such as meat or milk, but the average consumer can only guess what they mean. That's why we absolutely need a standardized farming label that allows people to see at a glance how the animal behind the food lived.

Of course, we must not harm our own food production in the process. That is why it is imperative that the livestock farming label also applies to imported food. Otherwise it could happen that the Austrian sausage with the lowest husbandry level is next to the Hungarian sausage without labeling - and which one would you choose then? Apart from that, I am convinced that people deserve transparency when it comes to animal husbandry. And we farmers deserve that people also recognize that we pay attention to animal welfare in farming.