The young farmers of Styria are causing a stir with their campaign ‘Stop barn burglaries!’ – and are receiving support from stakeholders. The Association Against Animal Factories (VGT) is firing back sharply and speaks of “misrepresentations” and “propaganda for the animal industry”.
More and more break-ins in stables, secret video and audio recordings, advertisements that lead to high psychological pressure on farm families: representatives of the young farmers from Styria have now come out, criticized the “radical activists” and called for a change in the penal code. The crime of “trespass” will also apply to stables in the future.
Farmers’ representatives for legislative changes
On Wednesday, they received support from the chairman of the Chamber of Agriculture, Franz Sittingchenbacher, and other farmers’ organizations. “Nobody wants strangers to break into their living room at night. It’s no different with our pig houses,” says Kurt Tauschmann, chairman of Styriabrid, a producer association of pig farmers.
Hans Peter Schlegl, chairman of the Styrian poultry sector, makes a similar statement: “Especially at night, the animals react very sensitively to disturbances. The resulting stress puts a strain on our animals and leads to unpredictable stress reactions that can lead to the death of individual animals.”
Death of 60 pigs: animal rights activists defend themselves
The focus is on the association against animal factories, which usually publishes the video material – and always emphasizes that it was leaked to them alone. Chairman Martin Balluch fired back sharply in a broadcast, for example because the incident in which 60 large pigs suffocated was linked to animal protection activists: “It is completely absurd to want to blame animal protection for this crime. Animal rights activists would never deliberately let pigs suffocate. The executive branch has also not investigated the animal protection environment.”
It also denies that animal rights activists would break down doors and cause property damage. “I don’t know of any cases like this.” Balluch admits that there are often no criminal charges when reports are made, but says: “If the Animal Welfare Act and its regulations were taken seriously, all animal factories would be illegal.”
The VGT is responsible for publishing the images from the stables. These revelations are supposed to serve to inform consumers. “A task that the animal industry deliberately avoids and tries to prevent.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
