Following the recent scandals in pig farms, the Health Minister responsible for animal welfare, Johannes Rauch (Greens), invited Friday to the “animal welfare summit”. The main debate is the introduction of a livestock label, which both food retail chains and AMA Marketing are advocating.
Lidl, Rewe, Hofer and Spar participating in the talks voted in favor of developing such a label before the summit. This should offer consumers the opportunity to consciously choose meat with higher livestock farming standards. “We have to see animals as living beings and not as a product,” said Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens). The type of designation and the criteria for allocation will be determined by the AMA in the future, the VGT (Association Against Animal Factories) announced.
Other organizations demand participation
However, due to the shortcomings that have recently become known in one of their companies, they can no longer be trusted, the broadcast continues. The VGT demands that the expertise of animal welfare organizations is included. “Labeling the type of farming on animal products is a very important step towards consumer transparency and a ban on full grids. However, this must not be misused again for unfair advertising (…)”, said VGT chairman Martin Balluch. According to him, the reform of the animal protection law must be decided in parliament in the next two weeks.
Austrian farmers also want to be involved in the labelling. “What the livestock sector looks like in Austria cannot be decided over the minds of the owners of the animals (…)”, said Georg Strasser, chairman of the Farmers’ Union. Compared to Balluch, he is less critical of the AMA seal of approval. It makes sense to further develop the established and reliable program. Greenpeace activists protested in front of the Ministry of Social Affairs today, Friday. They criticize a lack of transparency in meat products and the standards of AMA certification. On the other hand, they are also in favor of an animal welfare label.
On Thursday, the VGT published images of an AMA-certified fattening farm in Lower Austria, where dead animals would have counted among the living. Bone remains would prove that the dead pigs had not been removed for a very long time. The company has been reported and has already been blocked.
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.
