Martini: Consciously opt for Austrian pasture-raised or organic goose
It's goose season again. However, it is estimated that only around a third of all geese eaten here come from Austria. The majority were bred in countries such as Hungary or Poland, where the breeding and fattening conditions are much worse than here. The rapid fattening and inadequate living conditions lead to animal suffering and environmental problems. Mass breeding leads to price pressure on domestic breeders, as the strict husbandry requirements make Austrian geese more expensive. If consumers consciously opt for regional, species-appropriate Martinigansl geese, they are helping to strengthen domestic, sustainable agriculture.
In our neighboring country to the east, both stuffing and live plucking of geese are practiced, the latter also in Poland. Both are extremely cruel practices that have long been banned in Austria. Although self-sufficiency in Austrian geese is slowly increasing, the majority of geese come from countries such as Hungary and Poland. According to Statistics Austria, imports from Hungary and Poland rose sharply last year. These mainly end up on plates in restaurants. It is estimated that between 70 and 80 percent of goose meat in the catering trade does not come from Austria.
The food service industry does not even have to state where the geese come from or how they were kept, which Vier Pfoten considers to be extremely unfair to consumers - as do we!
EU-wide strictest regulations for the rearing of geese
"In Austria, the strictest regulations apply to the keeping of geese on pasture, which are scrupulously observed by our farmers. Here, all geese, whether organic or conventional, are entitled to free range and species-appropriate husbandry conditions. At the same time, however, we import two thirds of our goose meat from countries such as Hungary or Poland, where - in contrast to Austria - torturous practices such as stuffing and live plucking are still permitted. It is therefore crucial to pay attention to the Austrian origin when shopping or at the pub and thus honor the high quality of our pasture-raised geese", said Georg Strasser, President of the Austrian Farmers' Union and Markus Lukas, Chairman of the Austrian Poultry Industry.
Live plucking means incredible animal suffering, which is why we should definitely do without it! We explain this in detail in the following article:
"Absolute pioneering role"
Hannes Royer, founder of the Land schafft Leben association, says:
Austria is an absolute pioneer in goose fattening. Without exception, every Austrian goose has a run. At EU level, there are not even legal minimum standards for goose husbandry. So you can imagine how the animals are kept in countries like Hungary. Unfortunately, every year thousands of imported geese from farming methods that are not even permitted here end up on Austria's plate - and usually without consumers knowing what they are actually eating. We finally need mandatory origin and husbandry labeling, also for the food service industry.
Veronika Weissenböck from Vier Pfoten is also calling for this labeling requirement:
"Unfortunately, the animals are the big losers in this greed-is-cool mentality - alongside the consumers who eat meat from tortured animals."
Large price differences to imported goods
The strict requirements in Austrian goose farming make it significantly more cost-intensive than in other countries. This is also reflected in the price. This year, the price differences in purchasing are particularly large. Fresh Austrian goose costs an average of around 10 euros more per kilogram in the wholesale trade than frozen goods from Hungary. Imported geese were significantly more expensive in 2023. This was due to higher raw material prices and losses caused by bird flu.
No Austrian goose without a run
According to the Austrian Animal Husbandry Ordinance, every goose - regardless of whether it is kept organically or conventionally - must have access to an outdoor run. A maximum of 21 kilograms of geese may be kept on one square meter of floor space in the barn. That's about four geese at the time of slaughter. In addition, each animal must have at least 50 square meters of outdoor space. If the animals have more space in the barn, then less space is sufficient: if a maximum of 15 kilograms per square meter is kept, at least 10 square meters of space per animal is sufficient. "It is also mandatory to provide bathing or showering facilities when keeping waterfowl such as geese," explains Lukas.
What we can do as consumers:
- So if you really want to enjoy a Martinigansl, you should definitely go for the Austrian pasture goose or the Austrian organic goose
- However, there are also vegan alternatives, as we will prove in our upcoming "Indulgence" article on Saturday!
- When visiting restaurants, you should be "annoying" and always ask exactly where the goose comes from, and also be prepared to say "no" if the origin is dubious.
