Drought in Austria noticeably drives up number of emergency cattle slaughters

Feed shortage as the trigger

The livestock marketing cooperative Kärntner Fleisch, the largest farming cooperative of its kind in Carinthia, recorded an increase in cattle slaughters of around seven percent compared to the previous year from January through the end of July. According to the cooperative, the bulk of this increase is attributable to the segment of cull cows.

The cattle breeders' association ARGE Rind shows a similar picture. Rising numbers of emergency slaughters are also being reported from Upper Austria, Lower Austria, and the eastern part of Austria. The summer months, with lacking precipitation and higher temperatures, are particularly hard on pasture-based operations.

Data from Carinthia and Upper Austria

Another factor worsening the situation is the increased live imports of slaughter cattle. Agricultural representatives see this as an additional pressure element for the domestic market, especially at a time when many farms are already forced to offload animals.

The locality of Totschnig, mentioned repeatedly in connection with the current surveys, stands as an example of a region where the drought has noticeably shrunk the feed base for cattle. There, as in other parts of eastern Austria, expensive purchases of feed and bottlenecks in water supply are being reported.

Political debate over aid

The political debate over the situation of cattle farming is also being taken up within the ranks of the FPÖ. The focus is on what kind of support the federal government and the states will provide for affected farms and how the system of live imports should be designed in the future.

Lorenz Mayr, who emerges in the reports as a voice from the industry, points to the tight timeframe within which decisions about emergency slaughters must be made. Veterinarians examine the condition of the animals before a slaughter is carried out.

Outlook for the coming weeks

If the drought continues in the coming weeks, industry observers expect a further rise in emergency slaughters. At the same time, pressure is mounting on policymakers to adopt short-term support measures for the affected farms.

Overall, the development makes clear how closely weather, feed supply, and animal welfare are interlinked in cattle farming. When basic forage on the pasture is lacking, some farms are left with only the route of emergency slaughter in order to limit the animals' suffering.