2023-08-05 12:30:09
Fattening cattle may be penned up in 2 m² if they weigh 350 kg, 2.4 m² if they weigh 500 kg and 2.7 m² if they weigh 650 kg, but only on fully slatted floors
A country like Austria, with animal protection as a state goal in the federal constitution, must reduce such animal-hostile legacy as soon as possible. The population expects animals to be treated in a way that offers them at least a little quality of life.
GDR. Martin Balluch, VGT chairman
Vienna (OTS) – In Appendix 2 of the 1st Animal Husbandry Ordinance, the legislator has specified the exact dimensions of the space available for fattening cattle. It says literally that this information only applies to fully slatted floors. If the cattle have a solid area, this must be large enough for the cattle to lie next to each other. Without this lying surface, however, the animals are practically doomed to lie on top of each other: a 350 kg bull gets 2 m², i.e. e.g. 2 mx 1 m space, with a 500 kg bull it is 2.4 m², i.e. e.g. 2 mx 1.2 m, and a 650 kg bull might then only use 2 mx 1.35 m of space. Given the size of these animals, these areas are best suited for standing. It is not possible to take a step or just turn around. Unless there are more animals in the bay, then of course one bull can turn at the expense of another’s place. It is hard to believe that the poor beef cattle can survive for up to 2 ½ years in so little space!
That’s why the VGT invited people to the Schwarzenbergplatz in Vienna for a big event today. 130 animal rights activists followed the call. They put on a mask and put on a white robe. Then, calculated down to a body weight of 70 kg, each of these “cattle” was allocated 1 m², or 0.75 mx 1.3 m. The campaign showed impressively how incredibly little space we offer our fattening cattle.
VGT Chairman DDr. Martin Balluch was there: “Who would think of giving a full-grown bull so little space? A passer-by asked me that. Good question. The government certainly did not turn to the scientific community in the late 1980s, when the first minimum requirements for so-called livestock were enshrined in law. There is no study that has found such a small space sufficient for bulls. Rather, in the 1970s, trial and error were used to create husbandry conditions that bring the maximum profit, i.e. the lowest costs per kg of meat. Less space per bull leads to an increase in mortality, so costs increase. More space is less efficient, animals move more and use more food calories. A country like Austria, with animal protection as a state goal in the federal constitution, must reduce such animal-hostile legacy as soon as possible. The population expects animals to be treated in a way that offers them at least a little quality of life.
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press photos ( : VGT.at)
Questions & contact:
VGT – ASSOCIATION AGAINST ANIMAL FACTORIES
DDr. Martin Balluch
campaign lead
0699 160 91 829
media@vgt.at
1691242100
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