From January 1, 2024, milk and beef products with the AMA quality mark may no longer come from permanently tethered cows. An exemption that was originally supposed to apply until 2030 has now been shortened.
This was announced by representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture on Sunday. This form of rearing is already prohibited for new stables. However, tethering is still allowed in existing stables. About ten to fifteen percent of companies use it.
“Not an easy step”
The switch is “not easy for local agriculture,” said Agriculture Minister Norbert Totschnig (ÖVP). That’s why he announced support for farms. This is for those who switch from permanent tethering up to two years before the legal deadline, i.e. the end of 2027. An annual amount of 30 million euros is available for this.
The AMA seal of approval has been criticized repeatedly in the past. For example, pigs do not need to have enough space and some other criteria for increased animal welfare are, according to some NGOs, based only on the voluntary nature of the farm.
Source: Krone
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