Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
Ländle Alpschwein
Record Number: 134
Disclosure Date
Pigs have probably been bred in the Vorarlberg Alps since the 15th century BC.
Photo: BMLFUW/A...
Ländle Alpschwein
(Ländle alpine pig)
Abstract or claim
The production of Ländle Alpschwein is the result of traditional knowledge of pig breeding and animal farming in the alpine area of Vorarlberg.
The specific feeding scheme results in lean pork with extraordinary flavour, juiciness and tenderness.
It is kept in accordance with traditional extensive pig husbandry in the alpine region of Vorarlberg and thus makes a contribution to the preservation of the cultivated landscape.
Name of product, Product class
Pork, fresh meat
Name of region
Ländle, Vorarlberg, Austria
Field of search
Food and agriculture
Name of information provider
Matthias Marxgut
Manager
Ländle Qualitätsprodukte Marketing GmbH
(Ländle Quality Products Marketing GmbH)
Name of applicant for title
---
Holder of knowledge or associated resources
About 40 pig farmers in Vorarlberg
Grantee(s), holder(s), assignee(s) or owner(s) of title, if any
---
Descriptors
- History:
Pigs are one of the oldest animals used in livestock farming. They were first domesticated in Asia around 8,000 B.C., with their use developing independently in a number of different regions, after which they came to Europe.
Pigs were very popular in mediaeval times, as they supplied not only meat and bacon but also other materials that could be used, such as soft tissue, fatty tissue, tendons, ligaments and innards. Pigs were kept in forests by swineherds and fattened with acorns and beechnuts.
The value of a forest used to be determined less by its suitability for logging and more by whether there was sufficient food there to support many pigs.
Since extensive forest pastures were the sole source of feed, the performance and different types of pigs developed very slowly.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, epidemics, the Thirty Years War and the shrinking of forest pastures (due to overgrazing and the resulting restrictions on pasture rights) led to a decrease in the number of pigs and the consumption of meat.
Until the eighteenth century, pigs had to search for feed in the forests, and were only fed household waste in addition to this. Pigs would have looked similar to wild boars at this time.
Improvements in agriculture led to higher yields, however, and subsequently to better feeding of the animals. It was also at this time that targeted breeding began to develop in England. Global trade brought breeds from Asia and other countries to Europe. The crossing of native English pigs with breeds from Asia and Naples produced their first modern pig breed, the Leicester, in 1770.
Ignaz von Halloy first chronicled the importance of pig breeding in Austria in 1804. At that time, farmers kept sows as their main domestic animals.
History of pig farming in the region:
The breeding of alpine pigs is closely connected to cheese dairy farming in Vorarlberg. It can thus be assumed that alpine pig farming began in Vorarlberg about the same time as alpine cheese dairy farming on what are today known as the Sennalpen (the famous alpine dairies) in the Bregenzerwald Region around the 15th century BC.
Even back then the pigs were driven up to the alpine pastures together with the dairy cattle so that the whey that resulted from the production of cheese did not have to be disposed of in the valley, but could instead be used as the basis of the feed for fattening the pigs.
In 2001, the Ländle Qualitätsprodukte Marketing GmbH (Ländle Quality Products Marketing GmbH) was established. It is the central source for marketing and quality assurance of all the agricultural products of Vorarlberg. Its goal is to promote local products and to improve their quality, thus increasing their added value.
Every year about 11,000 Ländle Alpschweine alpine pigs are reared in the region.
- Region:
Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
Vorarlberg borders on Bavaria (Germany), Graubünden and St. Gallen (Switzerland), the Principality of Liechtenstein and Tyrol (Austria).
Soil and climatic conditions:
The soils vary between pseudo-gley and gley soils. There are soils on carbonate rocks, calcareous brown soils and clay soils, similar to brown loam soils.
The climate is mainly Atlantic due to the westerly winds from Lake Constance.
Temperature differences are moderate due to the influence of the huge water mass of Lake Constance. Winters are mild and rich in snow, and summers are rather cool. There are often warm Föhn winds in the Rhine Valley and in the Walgau Valley.
The average yearly temperature is about 10 °C.
In autumn the weather is rather stable and dry with low temperatures at night.
The annual precipitation is high (1500 - 2000 mm).
Habitat:
Despite the limited area Vorarlberg has a wide variety of landscapes.
Highly developed alpine farming is made possible by the high percentage of meadow and pasture land (19.83 %) as well as alpine mountain pastures and mountain meadows on steep slopes (32.15 %).
About 53,000 hectares of the 105,000 hectares of arable farm land in Vorarlberg are used for alpine farming.
The meadows and extensive alpine pastures offer excellent conditions for pig breeding in Vorarlberg.
Ländle Alpschweine alpine pigs graze in summer on a total of around 40 Vorarlberg alpine dairy farms at an elevation between 900 and 1800 m.
The regional climatic and soil conditions result in a mountain flora which is characterised by a great diversity of alpine plants, such as common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), red clover (Trifolium pratense), alpine meadow-grass (Poa alpine) or mountain plantain (Plantago atrata).
This particular variety of species of grasses and herbs in the green fodder and the hay made of them supply the basis for the unique flavour of Ländle Alpschwein pork.
- Ländle Alpschwein (Ländle alpine pig):
Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
Ländle Alpschwein alpine pigs must be born in Austria and whenever possible in Vorarlberg. If there are no pigs in Vorarlberg for grazing the alpine pastures, the animals will mainly be purchased from the Provinces of Lower and Upper Austria. But after being purchased, the animals will be fattened and slaughtered exclusively in the Ländle Region.
Method of production:
Breeding/fattening:
Ländle Alpschwein alpine pigs are born in Austria and are kept on the Vorarlberg alpine dairy farms starting at an age of about 3 months (with around 30 kg).
The animals have to be kept in a way which ensures their welfare at every stage of their lives.
The Ländle Alpschwein is guaranteed to be fattened and slaughtered in Vorarlberg and grows in a healthy and appropriate environment with enough space to move around.
Ländle Alpschwein alpine pigs spend at least 100 days between May and August in the sties on the alpine dairy farms of the region.
Ländle Alpschwein alpine pigs have continuous access to the pens on the Vorarlberg alpine dairy farms. Each alpine pig must have at least 1 m2 and the pen itself must be at least 10 m2 . The pen can have a continuous solid floor and it is recommended to have an additional pig sty outdoors. Sufficient protection from direct sunlight must be provided outdoors.
The alpine pigs may not be tethered or kept in individual boxes, but are kept together in groups with sufficient space. Bedding must always be available. The right structured material, such as straw, must be provided for this.
It is not permitted to keep the animals on fully slatted floors.
Feeding:
The pigs are feed whey and concentrated feed (not containing animal meal), plus sufficient roughage and water.
The feed is mainly purchased in Vorarlberg, except the whey, which is constantly provided by the dairy cattle on the alpine pastures.
The use of antibiotic performance enhancers and hormones is forbidden. The alp pigs also do not receive any genetically modified feed such soya and corn.
Each pig that weighs 30 to 60 kg must be given a feed place of at least 27 cm and pigs weighing 60 to 110 kg must be given at least 33 cm. The use of automatic feeders is preferred.
The whey must be stored in hygienic containers, such as whey tanks.
Fattening:
The pigs are fattened with grain in the last 3 weeks before being slaughtered to reduce the water content of the meat. The mix of grains must meet the standards of the Agrarmarkt Austria (Agricultural Market Austria or AMA for short).
Transport and Slaughter:
Pigs are slaughtered at the age of 6 - 7 months. The live weight is about 130 kg, and the carcass weight between 80 and 105 kg, although it cannot be less than 80 kg.
Pigs are slaughtered in September and most of them are slaughtered in an EC-certified slaughterhouse in Dornbirn.
Other slaughterhouses are possible as long as Ländle Marketing GmbH is notified and they have been approved by a veterinarian.
The animals are transported to the slaughterhouse by a pick-up service. Short journeys ensure stress-free slaughtering of the animals and thus the highest meat quality.
After slaughtering, the carcasses are officially inspected by veterinarians, when they are classified according to the SEUROP grading scale and the pH value of the meat measured.
Then the meat is refrigerated at 4 °C in the cold storage rooms of the slaughterhouse or of the Ländle butcher’s shops to mature for a while and is then processed.
Meat description:
Pork from the Ländle Alpschwein is red to pink, lean, aromatic and characterised by its juiciness and tenderness.
About 50 % of the pork achieves the “S” meat class (excellent quality) in the SEUROP grading scale and 50 % achieves the “E” meat class.
The proportion of muscle is around 56 %.
Quality control:
The health and well-being of the alpine pigs are inspected daily by the farmers.
About 40 Vorarlberg alpine farms are members of the Ländle Marketing GmbH and thus produce the internal production and quality standards for Ländle Alpschwein pork.
The alpine pasture farms and slaughterhouses are inspected once a year by external inspectors working under contract for the Ländle Marketing GmbH.
The Ländle Marketing GmbH performs random samples on the “Ländle Metzg” (the butcher members of the Ländle Marketing GmbH). The “Ländle Metzg” agree to document the purchase of alpine pigs accordingly and to present this proof of purchase during the on-site inspection.
Additionally, the Ländle Marketing GmbH also performs internal random feed and residue analyses once a year and checks for compliance with AMA production regulations.
Furthermore, the internal AMA production regulations apply for the fattening of the Ländle Alpschwein alpine pigs.
Quality labelling:
All Ländle Alpschwein products are labelled with the “Luag druf – Ländle Qualität” (Look for the seal- Ländle quality) seal of quality, which stands for the local production and processing of products in Vorarlberg. It also ensures compliance with the strict quality guidelines.
- Marketing:
The pork of Ländle Alpschwein is marketed by the Ländle Quality Products Marketing GmbH.
Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
The pork is only sold in the region during the Alpschwein weeks (about 16 days in September).
- Proof of origin:
The pigs are identified by official ear tags in accordance with the Tierkennzeichnungs- und Registrierungsverordnung 2007 (Austrian Animal Identification and Registration Ordinance).
Connection between the geographical area and traditional knowledge
- Specific soil and climatic conditions in the Ländle Region result in a native
flora, which enables the extensive keeping of Ländle Alpschwein on alpine
dairy farms.
- Thanks to this type of keeping, pork with specific characteristics in terms
of composition and marbling can be produced. The meat has a very unique
aroma and flavour which are directly related to the local flora and whey.
- The breeding and production of Ländle Alpschwein is the result of traditional
knowledge, which has been passed on from generation to generation: the
traditional knowledge and experience of the pig farmers (adapting the
keeping of herds to the environmental conditions, the method of producing
pork, the raising of pigs in mountainous regions, genetic improvement), the
know-how of the butchers (experience in slaughtering, cutting, and
maturing meat) and the expertise of the farmers.
- Utilisation:
Ländle Alpschwein pork is available as fresh meat or in processed form.
Ländle Alpschwein specialities are Schulterspeck bacon, Schinkenspeck bacon, belly of pork, in air-dried or smoked varieties, and pork tenderloin.
- Protection:
Word/picture trademark: Ländle Produkte – also includes the word/picture trademark Ländle Alpschwein – (Austrian Patent Office, registry no. 219 535, in the year 2004)
Word/picture trademark: Ländle Qualität – Luag druf (Austrian Patent Office, registry no. 210 540, in the year 2003)
Key Words
Food and agriculture, traditional knowledge, Austria, region, Vorarlberg, Ländle, pig, Edelschwein, Ländle Alpschwein, Ländle alp pig
Bibliography / References
- RÖSENER W. Bauern im Mittelalter, C.H. Beck Verlag, München,
1991, S. 147-149
- 1. Tierhaltungsverordnung
http://www.vu-wien.ac.at/vetrecht/1.%20TierhaltungsV_kons_1_2008.pdf
- Agrar.Projekt.Preis
http://www.agrarprojektpreis.at/laendle-alpschwein.343.htm
- Bregenz: Historische Entwicklung
http://www.bregenz.at/fileadmin/Downloads/Wirtschaft_Zahlen_Fakten/historischesundStadtgebietdoc_01.pdf
- Das Alpbuch der Privatkäserei Rupp
http://activepaper.tele.net/vntipps/RuppAlpbuch.pdf
- Das Ländle Alpschwein
http://www.laendle.at/start.php4?m1id=3
- Die Alpenschwein-Saison beginnt
http://vorarlberg.orf.at/stories/219213/
- Die forstlichen Wuchsgebiete Österreichs: Wuchsgebiet 4.1:
Nördliche Randalpen – Westteil
http://bfw.ac.at/300/1213.html#böden
- Die lange Käsegeschichte
http://www.kaesestrasse.at/pdf/die_lange_kaesegeschichte.pdf
- Genuss Region Ländle Alpschwein
http://www.genuss-region.at/article/archive/19835/
- Geschichte/ Herkunft: Von welchem Tier stammt das Hausschwein ab?
http://www.rund-ums-schwein.at/index.php?id=geschichte_herkunft
- Käse, Äpfel, Most und Fleisch im Fokus des GENUSS.spezialitäten.pur
Magazins
http://pressetext.at/news/081008002/kaese-aepfel-most-und-fleisch-im-fokus-des-genussspezialitaetenpur-magazins/
- Ländle Alpschwein ab September saisonal erhältlich
http://www.genuss-region.at/article/archive/21207
- Ländle GmbH
http://www.laendle.at/start.php4?m1id=1
- Ländle Qualität ist nachvollziehbar
http://www.laendle.at/start.php4?m1id=3
- Österreichisches Bundes-Tierschutzgesetz
http://www.bmwf.gv.at/fileadmin/user_upload/forschung/recht/tierversuche/tschg.pdf
- Qualitätsrichtlinie für Alpschweine
http://www.laendle.at/FILEPOOL/03%20LQM/EXTERNE/PDF/AlpschweinRichtlinie2008.pdf
- Von der Domestikation der Schweine zur Entwicklung der heutigen
Rassen in Deutschland
http://www.g-e-h.de/geh-schweine/11-domest.htm
- Von Halloy, Ignaz : Das Ganze der Landwirtschaft in einer gedrängten
Darstellung nebst ihrem Verhältnisse zu dem österreichischen Staate
http://books.google.at/books?id=xJlEAAAAIAAJ&pg=RA1-PA61&dq=Geschichte+der+%C3%B6sterreichischen+Landwirtschaft&lr=&as_brr=1&as_pt=ALLTYPES#PPA2,M1
- Vorarlberg
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vorarlberg
- Vorarlberg
http://aeiou.iicm.tugraz.at/aeiou.encyclop.v/v885304.htm
- Vorarlberg hat fünf starke Genussregionen
http://www.lebensmittelnet.at/article/articleview/60113/1/8149/
- Wo Ländle drauf steht, ist Ländle drin
http://www.laendle.at/start.php4?m1id=2
- Die Geschichte des Schweines
http://www.goejo.at/geschichte.php
- Von der Domestikation der Schweine zur Entwicklung der heutigen
Rassen in Deutschland
http://www.permakultur.at/themen/tiere/schweine/domest.html
All internet references last accessed on 25.03.2009.
Language Code
German
Product of www.genuss-region.at
Ja
Regional contact
Matthias Marxgut
Management
Ländle Qualitätsprodukte Marketing GmbH
Montfortstrasse 11/7
A - 6900 Bregenz
Phone: +43(0)5574/400-704
E-mail: matthias.marxgut@lk-vbg.at
laendle@lk-vbg.at
Authors: Daniela Trenker, Eva Sommer, Erhard Höbaus
11.01.2012, Lebensministerium III/4