For 16 years now, Austria's largest organic brand has been working with ARGE Pinzgauer Rind to promote the continued existence of this robust dual-purpose breed. The annual autumn bull market is an important part of this cooperation. Over the years, Ja! Natürlich has supported a progeny of more than 6,000 animals by purchasing purebred Pinzgauer breeding bulls, thus making a significant contribution to the genetic diversity and performance of the breed.
‘It is very important to us to ensure the continued existence of the traditional Pinzgauer breed,’ explains Andreas Steidl, Managing Director of Ja! Natürlich, who was on site. ‘People don't realise that only a few of the once numerous cattle breeds are used in Austria today. This is a huge loss for biodiversity. As Austria's largest organic brand, we therefore see it as our task and responsibility to counteract the progressive loss of this diversity in livestock farming. We want to prevent valuable traditional breeds from falling into oblivion or even dying out and professional breeding selection from failing to materialise.’
Ja! Natürlich is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and is also sending a strong signal in favour of sustainability and biodiversity in this anniversary year. Since its foundation in 1994, Ja! Natürlich has revolutionised the Austrian food trade with the highest organic standards and done pioneering work for more sustainable agriculture. What once began with 30 products is now a product range with over 1,100 items - a milestone that emphasises the importance of organic farming for the future.
With initiatives like this, which are based on a strong partnership with growers, Ja! Natürlich is making an active contribution to ensuring that the Pinzgau cattle breed, which now only accounts for around two per cent of the total breed population in Austria, has a future. Pinzgau cattle are an old, robust Austrian dual-purpose breed characterised by excellent meat quality and good milk yield as well as the ability to adapt to difficult climatic conditions, such as in the high mountains. Although Pinzgauer cattle are optimally adapted to regional conditions, they are still being displaced by more productive breeds in large-scale breeding.
