Private standards for animal welfare in Austrian dairy husbandry: Consequences for farmers in mountain regions

Abstract

The current shift of regulations for animal welfare from public to private standards allows dairies and retailers to improve their position on the market. However, for easy communication and control they tend to reduce the multifaceted societal demands for animal welfare to freedom of movement, that is, to free stalls with or without access to pasture. Taking a farmers perspective, this contribution examines the situation in Austria, where structure and practices of dairy farming differ greatly between more favourable, arable, and mountainous regions. The theoretical concept of farming styles uncovers fundamental positions grounded in different understandings of how farming practices are supposed to be organized. Private standards privilege rationalized, large-scale dairy farms in advantaged regions over family-owned traditional farms in mountain areas. This may have unintended negative consequences on farming structure, land use and cultural landscape.