In July 2022, SPAR filed a lawsuit for injunctive relief with a very high amount in dispute against the VGT and requested an interim injunction (EV). This was actually enacted in the first two instances and was only significantly reduced by the Supreme Court (OGH). Under the initial EV, the VGT was no longer allowed to associate the SPAR supermarket chain with pig suffering, which even made reporting on the process impossible. The Vienna Higher Regional Court actually argued that SPAR doesn’t keep any animals. But the pig farms say they follow the law and only deliver what retailers and consumers want. In the end, no one could be blamed for the pigs’ suffering. Due to the OGH’s findings, the VGT was only able to criticize SPAR again after 1 ½ years.
But the majority loss of EV has not slowed down SPAR, on the contrary. VGT’s settlement offers were ignored and the lawsuit was expanded. On the first day of the trial at the HG Vienna in September 2024, only witnesses from SPAR were questioned. This time, witnesses from the VGT, including its leader DDr. Martin Balluch, invited. Essentially, the question is to what extent SPAR can be held responsible for the pig suffering on fully slatted floors, what the multinational company is doing to prevent this pig suffering and whether NGOs should really be banned by the courts from criticizing SPAR in this regard. A SLAPP lawsuit par excellence.
SPAR SLAPP trial day
The public SLAPP process by SPAR against the VGT over the issue of trade in pork from completely slatted floor farming continues with evidence from the VGT.
Datum: January 20, 2025, 11:30 a.m
Art: Processes
Ort: Handelsgericht, Saal 1811
Marxergasse 1a
1030 Wien
Austria
URL: https://vgt.at/presse/news/2025/news20250117ff.php
VGT – ASSOCIATION AGAINST ANIMAL FACTORIES
DDr. Martin Balluch
Telephone: 004319291498
Email: medien@vgt.at
Website: https://vgt.at
OTS ORIGINAL TEXT PRESS RELEASE UNDER THE EXCLUSIVE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SENDER FOR CONTENT – WWW.OTS.AT | VGT