Organic still in short supply

More pork from better animal husbandry

In 2024, Greenpeace examined the range of pork on offer in Austrian supermarkets for the fourth time since 2020, taking into account only fresh meat without marinade or mix.(Bild: APA/dpa-Zentralbild/Jan Woitas)

Meat consumption in Austria is declining slightly, with around ten percent less meat consumed in 2023 compared to 2018. The trend is moving in the right direction, but according to current dietary recommendations, Austrians still eat around five times more meat, ham, sausages and the like than recommended.

For the fourth time since 2020, Greenpeace has examined the range of pork on offer in Austrian supermarkets in terms of husbandry criteria. For the last market check in 2024, only fresh meat that is neither marinated nor mixed was used.

Only around one percent of meat is organic
A positive aspect of this year's result is the increased proportion of meat from better animal husbandry. Compared to 2023, the proportion has risen from 4.6 percent to 7.3 percent - an increase of 58 percent. The downside, however, according to Greenpeace, is that only around one percent of this is organic.

Fully slatted floors a sad reality
Conventional pork usually contains enormous animal suffering. Over 90 percent of pigs in Austria live crammed together on hard, fully slatted floors, without straw and without access to fresh air. Nobody really wants to have animal suffering on their plate," says Sebastian Theissing-Matei, agricultural expert at Greenpeace.

Tierleid im Schnitzel

Unfortunately, better animal husbandry is the exception in pig farming.

• Nine out of ten pigs in Austria lead a miserable existence: Crammed together in cramped conditions, on hard fully slatted floors, without straw or access to fresh air.
• The proportion of pork from better animal husbandry in supermarkets is 7.3 percent, of which one percent is from environmentally friendly organic animal husbandry.
• More than 90 percent of pigs in Austria are fed with imported genetically modified soy from overseas.

Billa Plus has the largest share of pork from better husbandry.