BILLA demands substantial animal welfare improvement

• For several decades, BILLA has been campaigning for the improvement of standards in animal husbandry and also welcomes the fact that the issue of livestock labelling has now landed on the political agenda. A sector solution for livestock labelling is only one small of many necessary steps, but does not contribute to the necessary improvements in husbandry conditions.

• A ban on fully slatted floors and husbandry systems based on them would be the most urgent first measure, coupled with cushioning measures for the farmers affected.

• Animal welfare also concerns all farm animal species - close cooperation with agriculture and all producers is necessary.

• Comprehensive transparency for consumers is important - labelling not only in the food trade, but also for all market participants as well as gastronomy and communal catering.

• BILLA continues to move forward and sets high standards: 100 percent fresh meat from Austria and animal welfare programmes from Ja! Natürlich (Yes! Of course) and "Fair zum Tier" (Fair to animals).

However, it must be emphasised that an effective system change can only be realised with all those involved, starting with agriculture, producers to processors and all associated sales channels, the trade as well as gastronomy and communal catering.

"We are grateful for the open exchange with the Federal Minister and his willingness to take steps for more animal welfare. Providing orientation and making a conscious purchase decision is important for consumers, but it does not change anything for the animals. A purely sectoral solution for labelling is only one small step of many necessary steps and does not contribute to the necessary improvements in husbandry conditions themselves. The goal must be to promote species-appropriate husbandry systems for all farm animals and, in particular, to enforce the long overdue ban on full slatted floors and husbandry systems based on them in pig farming. In addition to a binding legal framework, there is of course also a need for comprehensive transparency through animal husbandry labelling that is easy for consumers to understand. This should apply in all areas - in supermarkets as well as in restaurants or canteens, especially since more than half of the meat consumed in Austria is eaten outside the home," says Tanja Dietrich-Hübner, Head of Sustainability at REWE International AG.

"We have shown not only recently, but also in the years before that we are ready to take responsibility. With the ban on caged eggs or the switch to 100 per cent fresh meat including turkey meat from Austria, we have already set essential standards and with Ja! Natürlich and the "Fair zum Tier" initiative, we are pursuing the goal of further improving the living and husbandry conditions of domestic farm animals with Austria's largest range of animal welfare products in the future. But it is a fact that for a noticeable change in the system, it is too short-sighted to only talk about the praise of the end product on the shelf; the living conditions of an animal must be improved from rearing to slaughter. The ball is now in the politicians' court to create the necessary framework conditions to raise animal welfare standards to a higher level for all concerned," explains Andreas Steidl, Managing Director of Ja! Natürlich.