Domestic turkey farmers currently have to struggle a lot in competition with producers from abroad. With high inflation, consumers are increasingly turning to cheaper products in the supermarket and prefer turkey breasts from Poland or Italy, which sometimes cost half the price. The turkey farmers criticize that this is fueled by the trade, which presents Austrian turkey meat in addition to cheap meat from abroad.
“We want a clear commitment from the trade to present our goods and a full switch to Austrian turkeys,” Michael Wurzer, director of the Austrian Poultry Industry (ZAG) Central Working Group, asked in an interview with APA. Some supermarket chains currently sell turkey breast from abroad at prices of 8 to 9 euros per kilo, while Austrian goods are right next door for 17 or 18 euros, Wurzer criticized. The turkey meat from organic farming comes to about 30 euros per kilo. Money that many currently do not have.
Turkeys must be sold abroad
The finishers are already seeing a drop in orders and have to sell their turkeys abroad at low prices, says Wurzer. The approximately 200 domestic turkey farms can supply about half of the Austrian market. But since very little local turkey meat is bought in the catering industry, the industry could fully supply the food trade with fresh turkey with Austrian goods, the director of ZAG admitted.
Cheap meat from abroad at the discounter
According to their own statements, grocers Billa and Billa Plus (Rewe) have only been selling fresh meat from Austrian production since spring 2020. However, this does not apply to discount chain Penny, which also belongs to the Rewe Group. Market leader Spar gets the turkey meat for its cheap brand “S-Budget” from Germany and Italy, for “Spar Feinstes Huhn” from Austria, where the turkey is partly slaughtered in Austria and partly in Bavaria. “We are currently looking for consumers who want to offer very cheap turkey meat. There is not enough supply in Austria, so we depend on the neighboring countries,” said Spar spokeswoman Nicole Berkmann on APA request. “Of course we would prefer that we could offer everything from Austria.”
Hofer also points out that due to the high demand it is currently not possible to meet the high demand for turkey meat exclusively with domestic products. “However, Hofer always strives to offer a large proportion of its turkey products of Austrian origin,” the company tells the APA.
No minimum standards for attitude
There are no European minimum standards for keeping turkeys. According to industry representative Wurzer, livestock regulations in Austria are the strictest in the EU. “Domestic turkeys have about 70 percent more space in the barn than in most other EU countries,” says Wurzer. A maximum of two large animals (40 kilos) may be kept per square meter. In addition, the diet was switched to GMO-free feeding years ago and the use of antibiotics has been reduced by 65 percent since 2014. All this makes domestic production expensive.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
