Fleisch#

Meat: Meat production plays a key role in Austrian agriculture; approximately 620,000 cattle and 4.9 million pigs are slaughtered annually in Austria; most of the animals originate from the provinces of Upper Austria, Lower Austria and Styria. Approximately 10 % of the cattle bred in Austria are exported (1997). In the same year growth domestic production of beef and veal came to 220,791 tons, pork 465,419 tons and poultry 103,750 tons. The domestic production approximately covered domestic demand in 1997, beef and veal showed a surplus of 40%, whereas a large portion of the lamb and poultry bought in Austria is imported (circa 20 %).

In 1997 per capita meat consumption in Austria amounted to 13.1 kg of beef(1993:12.1 kg), 39 kg of pork (1993: 35.7 kg) and 9.9 kg of poultry (1993: 8.7 kg).

In Austria meat production is regulated by a variety of laws such as the Animal Feedstuff Law and the Meat Inspection Law. The regulations ensure that Austrian meat is produced according to hygienic standards and is free from any residue before coming on the market. The federal inspection is not limited to just the slaughtering of the animals, preparation and sale of meat, but also includes the inspection of livestock in farms and feedlots.