The current discovery of two additional cattle fattening areas provides insights into the everyday life of cattle fattening on fully slatted floors – a new, comprehensive campaign video explains the problems
Vienna (OTS) – The new image material from two cattle fattening stations with fully slatted concrete floors from the districts of Wr. Neustadt and Tulln show the well-known animal suffering: the cattle stand tightly packed on hard slatted floors over their own feces. In close quarters, social conflicts arise – the animals ram each other or jump on each other. There are no soft, littered lying areas. The fattening cattle have to lie on the cracks, some of which have sharp edges.
Around 100 beef cattle live in each of the two farms uncovered. Even if the images seem shocking to many consumers, they correspond to the norm in cattle fattening in Austria.
The new The campaign video of the ASSOCIATION AGAINST TIERFABRIKEN addresses various problems of cattle fattening, explains alternatives and shows unvarnished, real insights into Austrian cattle fattening.
About the video: The brutal reality of fattening cattle on completely slatted floors
Fully slatted floor: Illegal animal cruelty
According to the Austrian Animal Welfare Act, it is prohibited to cause unjustified pain or suffering to animals and to keep them in a way that causes pain or suffering to the animals. Alternative forms of husbandry such as Multi-area bays or manure stables prove that better accommodation for fattening cattle without fully slatted floors is also commercially possible. At the same time, the cruel, fully slatted floor for fattening bulls and calves is explicitly permitted in the 1st Animal Husbandry Ordinance. This is a legal contradiction that urgently needs to be resolved!
VGT chairman and campaign manager DDr. Martin Balluch explains: Laws such as the Animal Welfare Act supersede the respective regulations that implement the law more explicitly. A regulation cannot therefore allow anything that is already prohibited by law. Cruelty to animals contradicts the Animal Protection Act. Consequently, it cannot be permitted in the regulation. This can be clarified in a standard declaratory action – unfortunately, animal protection associations are not entitled to sue for this.
The VGT calls for a legal review of this grievance and an adjustment to the 1st Animal Husbandry Ordinance.
Cattle suffer on fully slatted floors
Several studies, some 15 years ago, have already shown that keeping animals on fully slatted floors increases Injuries and illnesses and represents a significant burden for the animals. The carpal joints in particular are pathologically altered in almost 100% of cattle on fully slatted floors. Injuries to the ankle joints are also much more common on fully slatted floors than on straw. Around 70% of the cattle are on fully slatted floors injured tail tips. That too Lying behavior is worse on fully slatted floors, which is particularly stressful for ruminant cattle.
Austria rejects animal cruelty practices!
92% of Austrians gave one European Commission survey indicate that it is important to them that animals are kept according to their needs. The reality of fattening cattle on fully slatted floors not only lags enormously behind the natural needs of the animals, but also the expectations of consumers.
VGT campaigner David Richter: The new images clearly demonstrate what life on fully slatted floors means for fattening cattle. Fully slatted flooring is unsustainable and cruel. Our new campaign video shows this very impressively. We support the demand of the absolute majority of Austrians for species-appropriate animal husbandry, at least on straw!
A cattle farm with fully slatted floor fattening was already published in November: Revealed: dirty stables, injured calf, full-cleft torment
Die Petition against the fully slatted floor calls for an end to fully slatted pens, soft lying areas and more space
Press photos (Copyright: VGT.at)
Media video (as cut material): on request
Questions & Contact:
VGT – ASSOCIATION AGAINST ANIMAL FACTORIES
David Richter
0676 5852629
media@vgt.at
https://vgt.at