On June 1st, the repair of the Animal Welfare Act should now come into force in good time. The Short story With regard to pork keeping on full column floors, the National Councilor today the majority decided. According to a judgment of the Constitutional Court, the transition periods are shortened, but hardening regulations are also implemented.
In addition to the government factions, the FPÖ also approved the changes, whereby it considered the transition periods too short and campaigned for the introduction of a comprehensive food labeling, but failed with the corresponding resolution application.
The Greens, on the other hand, criticized the lack of minimum standards. Your further Application was rejected, however. Likewise, no majority found a decision -making request for a package of measures for an animal -friendly pig farming.
Minimum standards should not be negotiated until 2027
The background to the legal repair is a ban on pig farming decided by the previous government in 2022 on unstructured full column floors with generous transition periods for existing stables. However, these provisions were assessed as too long and factually not justified by the Constitutional Court and lifted as of June 2025.
The amendment to the law submitted by the ÖVP, SPÖ and NEOS provides to shorten the transition period for existing systems by six years – June 1, 2034. For around 170 companies that have invested in new stables between June 2018 and December 2022, however, there is a hardship regulation with a longer transition period until 2038. As early as June 1, 2029, the first improvements in existing stables must be implemented, such as reducing the stock density or the equipment with additional organic employment material such as straw or hemp.
For the pigs in the fattening companies, this would mean an actual improvement in animal welfare, said State Secretary Ulrike Königsberger-Ludwig. It sees as a good solution that the transition periods were shortened from 17 to 9 years. The legislative decision ensures planning security and competitiveness among the farmers: inside. After evaluating the “Ibestlus” project in 2027, the minimum standards in Austrian pig fattening are to be negotiated, explained Königsberger-Ludwig. Work is also to be carried out on the names of origin in accordance with the government program.
Greens do not perceive any improvements, FPÖ fears competitive disadvantage
Nothing will improve for the pigs in the next few years, said Green Mandatar Ralph Schallmeiner, who criticized the lack of minimum standards. It is unclear what happens after the deadline. He was convinced that the package of measures for animal welfare criteria proposed by his parliamentary group would be convinced. It would have included the introduction of animal husbandry marking, monitoring of animal welfare and bioquotes in public procurement and investment funding exclusively for animal husbandry with high animal welfare. According to Olga Voglauer (Greens), the pork industry is “re -developed” in comparison to other animal husbandry. The amendment had been omitted at the amendment to which legal minimum standards should apply if the transition periods end in 2034, according to their criticism.
The freedoms were “inevitable” due to the urgency, as Peter Schmiedlechner (FPÖ) explained. After all, a solution had to be found quickly for the companies. This would give planning security, but would create a competitive disadvantage. He fears that many farmers: on the inside will set their business due to the scarce transition periods, which means that pork from abroad must be imported, where worse production standards would apply than in Austria. A full-column floors should also go hand in hand with food identification marking, he said. FPÖ parliamentary group colleague Albert Royer would also have liked longer transition periods on behalf of the Schweinbäuer. Irene Eisenhut and Alois Kainz (both also FPÖ) pointed out the area of tension between animal welfare and maintaining a competitive Austrian agriculture. “Yes to animal welfare, but no to peasant chicane,” said Kainz.
Government factions see legal and planning security given
If the law were not amended, the pork keeping on full column floors would be over, Josef Hechenberger (ÖVP) pointed out. Since there are currently only 5 % in biological attitude, 95 % of the pork in Austria would no longer be produced. According to the ÖVP mandatar, the planning security for the farmer was secured for the farmers: inside, but also the security of supply. His faction colleague: Inside Carina Reiter and Klaus Lindinger, and Georg Strasser (also ÖVP) not only saw it a VfGH-compliant solution, but also a sustainable perspective for pig fattening.
On the part of the SPÖ, Rudolf Silvan (SPÖ) and Christian Oxonitsch went into the fact that the original law from 2022 had not been sufficiently taken into account in the long transition periods. The now government was able to repair this quickly, said Silvan. He also explained that the organic employment material required from June 2029 serves to ensure that the pigs were not mutually attacked within the stable. For Michael Seemayer (SPÖ), the decision is an important step for more animal welfare in Austria, which creates practical framework conditions as well as legal certainty and planning security.
The NEOS also rated the legal changes around the reduced transition period as a good solution. The small-scale agriculture in Austria needs legal certainty to be able to make investments, said Neos member Christoph Pramhofer. Austria can be proud of the 100 percent self-care rate. With regard to forms of husbandry, he still sees need for improvement. Karin Doppelbauer (NEOS) added that there were still a lot to do with animal transports. Hopefully domestic pig production can be kept at the improved level, she said. (Conclusion National Council) fan
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