After the Constitutional Court’s ruling on pig farming on fully slatted floors, Animal Welfare Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) is now presenting a plan on how politicians want to improve this.
The Constitutional Court has annulled the transition period decided in 2022 to completely abolish slatted floors in pig farming by 2040 as too long and gave the legislature until June 2025 to restore this arrangement.
Rauch wants a transition period until 2030
Minister for Animal Welfare Johannes Rauch of the Greens is now presenting a concrete road map in the “Krone”. An immediate ban from June 2025 would be impossible to implement and would mean serious disadvantages or even the end for many pig farmers. Rauch therefore proposes a transition period until 2030 in combination with subsidies. Rauch does not mention specific amounts, but he speaks of “a significant increase in funding.”
Labeling obligation for the benefit of the consumer
This allows companies to quickly switch to a pig farm with higher requirements. “The farmers need planning certainty. To quickly end unstructured, fully rostered cages, we need to increase funding and define the future standard for animal husbandry. Consumers, in turn, need the assurance that their schnitzel in the inn is of the highest Austrian quality.”
More and more consumers are paying attention to the quality of their food when making purchasing decisions. At the same time, higher production costs increase the risk of Austria being flooded with cheap imported schnitzel, Rauch says.
Fear of cheap meat from abroad
The purpose of origin labeling in the catering industry is to protect Austrian farmers and consumers from low-quality imported meat. “If you want to protect the Austrian schnitzel, you also have to label it,” says Rauch. The hospitality industry has so far resisted a labeling requirement for meat products for fear of excessive bureaucracy.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
