Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
Nationalpark Kalkalpen Bio-Rind
Record Number: 135
Disclosure Date
The Ebenforstalm alpine pasture in today’s Kalkalpen National Park may have been used as pasture land as early as the 15th century. In 1627, the owner of the Jörglalm was already keeping 26 cattle on the alpine pasture.
Photo: BMLFUW/A...
Nationalpark Kalkalpen Bio-Rind
(Kalkalpen National Park organic cattle)
Abstract or claim
The breeding of Nationalpark Kalkalpen Bio-Rind is the result of traditional knowledge of breeding and extensive cattle husbandry over the centuries in the Kalkalpen National Park Region of Upper Austria.
The meat is characterised by its very unique taste and aroma, which is directly related to the regional alpine vegetation.
The environmentally friendly and soil-conserving management of the farms and alpine pastures makes an essential contribution to the sustainable preservation of the alpine landscape of the region.
Name of product, Product class
Beef, fresh meat
Name of region
Kalkalpen National Park, Upper Austria, Austria
Field of search
Food and agriculture
Name of information provider
Erich Mayrhofer
Director of the National Park
Nationalpark O.ö. Kalkalpen Ges.m.b.H.
Name of applicant for title
---
Holder of knowledge or associated resources
About 180 organic farmers of the Kalkalpen National Park Region
Grantee(s), holder(s), assignee(s) or owner(s) of title, if any
---
Descriptors
- History:
As humans turned to settlement in the Early Period, the keeping of domestic animals grew in importance, since these made humans increasingly less dependent on hunting, because the domestic animals provided meat, fat, milk and eggs.
Cattle have always been one of the most important domestic animals. The aurochs is considered to be the ancestor of our domestic cattle.
The natural alpine pastures above the timberline were already in use in Austria by the 5th century BC.
Alpine pasture farming began as early as the 7th century AD and continued to develop.
The alpine pastures in the Kalkalpen National Park Region have been cultivated and continuously developed since the Middle Ages. The Ebenforstalm alpine pasture in today’s Kalkalpen National Park may have been used as pasture land as early as the 15th century. The Jörglalm and Schaumbergalm alpine pastures were first mentioned in documents around 1575. According to documents that have been handed down, the owner of the Jörglalm was keeping 26 cattle on the alpine pasture by 1627 and the owner of the Ebenforstalm alpine pasture had 35 milk cows and 45 stirks (heifers that have not calved yet as well as young cattle) by 1646.
In the Late Middle Ages, cattle were kept in Upper Austrian monasteries mainly for their milk production. As mentioned in the Baroque shopping lists of the Schlägl monastery (Mühlviertel), cattle were purchased from markets in Linz.
The bourgeois ate beef at least three times a week in the form of boiled beef. It was one of the most important foods for people. Around 1750, the stewards of Schwertberg ate fresh beef every Sunday.
Upper Austrian farmers mainly ate beef on holidays or when an animal had to be put down, since the farmers preferred fattier foods.
In May 1990, the “Verein Nationalpark Kalkalpen“ (Kalkalpen National Park Association) was founded. In April 1997, the federal government and the Province of Upper Austria established the “Nationalpark O.ö. Kalkalpen Gesellschaft” (Upper Austrian Kalkalpen National Park Society) to run the national park. The Kalkalpen National Park was officially established shortly afterwards.
The “Organic Cattle” project was initiated in 2008 to create a value chain for the region’s leading product, beef.
In 2009, the Nationalpark Kalkalpen Bio-Rind Region of Delight Association was founded, which is responsible for marketing the organic beef.
- Region:
Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
Habitat:
With an area of 20,852 ha the Kalkalpen National Park is the second largest national park in Austria. 89% of the land is considered to be a protected nature preserve and the remaining 11 % is part of a conservation area, in which a high quality cultivated landscape, primarily alpine pastures and meadows, can be preserved in the long term.
There are a total of 60 alpine pastures in the Kalkalpen National Park Region, 20 of which are located directly in the Kalkalpen National Park. The alpine pastures are between 800 and 1,600 m above sea level. They are grazed by about 650 Nationalpark Kalkalpen organic cattle.
The majority of the alpine pastures are leased.
There are a total of 4,700 ha of pasture land in the Kalkalpen National Park Region, and 2,200 ha of this land are located directly in the national park. The Kalkalpen National Park is home to more than 1,000 different flowering plants, ferns and moss, such as Tozzia alpina, Butterwort (Pinguicula alpine), Alchemilla anisiaca or Austrian Snowbells (Soldanella austriaca). The cattle graze on the luscious grass and mountain herbs like hawksbeard (Crepis aurea)and feverfew (Tanacetum).
Thus, the Kalkalpen National Park Region offers ideal conditions for the organic production of organic cattle.
Keeping livestock on pastures therefore prevents the growth of shrubs and forests, and makes an important contribution to the preservation of the current landscape.
- Climate and soil conditions:
The Kalkalpen National Park Region relates to the alpine climate. Winters are long and snowy and the summers are short and cool. The annual temperature is about 7.3 °C on average. Characteristic are high amounts of up to 2.300 mm per year. The annual amount of precipitation is 1.573 mm on average. Typical are the warm foehn which falls down from the mountains and the inversion which leads to fogs in the valleys.
The northern part of the region is situated in the flysch zone which consists of sandstones, marley schists and clays. Also characteristic for the area are brown clays which have a high water reservoir capability and brown soils which have a bigger water permeability. The predominantly profound soils are particularly proper for agricultural usage.
The Kalkalpen Region (which literally means the limestone alps region) gets its name from the mountain ranges in Jura and Trias, which are composed of the organic sediments limestone and dolomite (such as corals and shells).
The main types of rock in the region are Wetterstein limestone, Dachstein limestone and main dolomite.
- Nationalpark Kalkalpen Bio-Rind (Kalkalpen National Park organic cattle):
Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
The cattle breeds Fleckvieh, Pinzgauer Rind, Braunvieh, Hochlandrind, Galloway as well the endangered breeds Murbodner Rind and Ennstaler Bergschecke are referred to as Nationalpark Kalkalpen Bio-Rind.
Method of production:
Breeding/fattening:
Nationalpark Kalkalpen Bio-Rinder cattle mainly come from the farmers’ own breeding.
No more than 20 % of the cattle population may be purchased from certified organic farms from the Gmunden District. Heifers in the amount of 10% of the farm’s population of full-grown animals may be purchased from across Austria each year. After being purchased, the heifers are kept according to organic standards. The animals may be of conventional origin if organic cattle aren't available. The purchase of conventional animals has to be documented and approved by the inspection authority.
The cattle population has to be adjusted to the agricultural land. Organic farms may only keep that number of cattle by which they do not exceed 170 kg nitrogen/ha/year.
The animals have to be kept in a way which ensures their welfare at every stage of their life.
The grazing period is between May and October and lasts between 100 and 130 days. The cattle graze on the pastures close to the farm houses or on higher situated alpine pastures directly in the national park.
The keeping of the animals has to be documented in a pasture diary.
Each animal has about 3 hectares of alpine pasture for grazing.
Male and female animals are kept together as part of suckler cow husbandry, which makes up about a 1/3 of the cattle on the alpine pastures.
Stables or other shelters have to be available on the pastures to protect the animals from heat, thunderstorms and insects.
The animals are kept exclusively in free stalls when on the farm.
In winter, the animals are allowed in the paddock, weather permitting.
The cattle are kept in groups, except for sick animals. Calves are kept in groups from the second week of their lives and can then enter the paddock.
Tethering is generally forbidden.
Natural or artificial insemination is used for mating.
Calving takes place year round.
The bull calves are castrated at 2 - 6 months in compliance with the legal requirements.
Feeding:
In general, the animals are fed with organic fodder produced on the farm. Purchased feed mainly comes from domestic BIO AUSTRIA certified farms. Conventional feed may only be used if organic feed isn't available in sufficient amounts. The daily amount of conventional feed does not exceed 25 %.
At least 60 % of the daily amount has to be green fodder or roughage (straw and hay). The feed mainly consists of grass and the farm’s own straw and hay and partially of cereals, oilseeds, oleaginous fruits, tubers or other plants (making up the remaining 40 %). In winter, the animals are fed silage fodder in addition to hay.
The calves begin to eat grass at about three months of age. Before this, the animals are fed colostrum in the first week of life and later natural milk.
The Kalkalpen National Park Region offers the cattle a variety of herbs and grasses, which are directly related to the particular taste of the milk and meat.
Only feed additives like vitamins and minerals or silage additives may be used, which are listed in Appendix II of the EU Organic Directive 2092/91 (Betriebsmittelkatalog, i.e., a catalogue of permissible agricultural supplies for organic farms).
The addition of antibiotics, fattening aids, colouring agents or genetically modified grains is forbidden.
Transport and slaughtering:
The cattle are slaughtered between 6 and 30 months old, depending on whether it's a calf (6 months), a stirk (12 months), or an ox (30 months).
The carcass weight of fully grown animals is between 300 and 420 kg. The carcass weight of calves is between 60 and 70 kg, and around 150kg for stirks.
The animals are slaughtered by the farmers themselves or by regional butchers as well as an EU slaughterhouse in Haidershofen in Lower Austria in the District of Amstetten.
On average, 50 Nationalpark Kalkalpen Bio-Rinder are slaughtered per year.
The steers to be slaughtered are collected by local butchers to ensure proof of origin.
All of the loading and transport of the animals is in the region to cause the animals as little stress as possible, thus ensuring optimal meat quality.
After the animals are slaughtered, the carcasses are officially examined by veterinarians and classified according to the EUROP grading scale.
Afterwards, the meat matures for 14 to 21 days at 0 °C in the cold storage and maturing rooms of the butchers.
Then the meat is cut in the local butcher’s shops and prepared for sale.
Meat description:
The meat has excellent quality. In the course of the maturing process, the connective tissue is broken down, which allows the flavour to develop. The maturing process also helps to make the fine-grained, delicately marbled beef particularly tender and mellow.
Nationalpark Kalkalpen Bio-Rinder meat has achieved meat classes “E”, “U” and “R”. Concerning the fat content, the meat has achieved fat classes 2 and 3 according to the EUROP grading scale. Fat class 3 is equivalent to optimally fattened steers.
Quality control:
The organic farms receive an unannounced inspection at least once a year. Besides the inspections prescribed by law, the BIO AUSTRIA association or an external inspector will check for compliance with BIO AUSTRIA standards. Product quality tests, quality tests and residue analyses are performed.
Nationalpark Kalkalpen Bio-Rind products are labelled with the Bio Austria seal of quality.
- Marketing:
Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
Nationalpark Kalkalpen Bio-Rind is available year round at the marketing partners.
- Proof of origin:
The cattle are identified by official ear tags and registered in accordance with Tierkennzeichnungs- und Registrierungsverordnung 2007 (the Austrian Animal Identification and Registration Ordinance).
The traceability of the cattle and the cattle farm at the point of sale is ensured by the “bos” system of AMA (Agrarmarkt Austria).
Connection between the geographical area and traditional knowledge:
- Specific soil and climatic conditions in the Kalkalpen National
Park Region result in a wide variety of native alpine flora that
supports extensive cattle husbandry of Nationalpark Kalkalpen
Bio-Rind on pastures and organic cattle farming.
- Nationalpark Kalkalpen Bio-Rind comprises breeds that are characteristic
of the region as well as endangered breeds, which are well-adapted to
the regional climatic conditions.
- Traditional, characteristic rearing systems: organic breeding year round.
- This type of management produces beef with specific characteristics in
terms of composition and marbling. The meat has a very unique aroma
and flavour, which are directly related to the local alpine flora.
- The breeding and production of Nationalpark Kalkalpen Bio-Rind is the
result of traditional knowledge, which has been passed down from
generation to generation: the traditional knowledge and experience
of the cattle farmers (adapting the keeping of herds to environmental
conditions, historical selection of local breeds, know-how of the shepherds,
the method of beef production, the raising of cattle in mountain areas,
genetic improvement), know-how of the butchers (animal transport,
experience in slaughtering, cutting, and meat maturing) and the expertise
of the organic farmers.
- Utilisation:
Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman
The processed Nationalpark Kalkalpen Bio-Rind is divided into 10 % prime cuts (tenderloin, sirloin), 20 % savoury (prime boiled beef, roast beef,) 20 % schnitzel/escalope, 15 % soup, 15 % goulash (calf, neck), 20 % minced meat or beef sausage.
Further specialities are beef ham and the “Windischgarstner” (a special type of “Bündnerfleisch”, which is an air-dried beef) as well as local foods such as beef steak and beef olive.
Sheep mixed-milk cheese and alpine pasture curd cheese are produced from Nationalpark Kalkalpen Bio-Rind.
- Protection:
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Key Words
Food and agriculture, traditional knowledge, Austria, region, Upper Austria, Kalkalpen National Park Upper Austria, oxen, cattle, Nationalpark Kalkalpen Bio-Rind, Kalkalpen National Park organic cattle, Fleckvieh, Pinzgauer Rind, Braunvieh, Hochlandrind, Galloway, Murbodner Rind, Ennstaler Bergschecke
Bibliography / References
- MAIER-BRUCK F. Vom Essen auf dem Lande. Das große Buch der
österreichischen Bauernküche und Hausmannskost, Verlag Kremayr &
Scheriau, Wien, 2003, S. 254
- SIEVERS G. W. Genussland Österreich. Was Küche und Keller zu bieten
haben, Leopold Stocker Verlag, Graz, 2007, S.116
- Aktuelle Forschung im Nationalpark Kalkalpen
http://www.nationalparksaustria.at/filemanager/download/20277/
- Almsommer 2007 – Harter Arbeitseinsatz und touristisches Erlebnis:
Acht Nationalparkalmen im Mittelpunkt
http://www.ooe.gv.at/cps/rde/xbcr/SID-3DCFCFC3-2F374AF2/ooe/PK_Stockinger_27.6.2007_Internet.pdf
- Bio Austria Produktionsrichtlinien
http://www.bio-austria.at/bio_bauern/richtlinien/bio_austria_richtlinien/bio_austria_produktionsrichtlinien
- Biologische Rinderhaltung
http://www.nationalpark.or.at/article/archive/5057
- Das BIO AUSTRIA Ochsen- und Kalbinnenprojekt: Anforderungen,
Marktentwicklung und Verbesserungspotenziale
http://www.bio-austria.at/bio_bauern/aktuell/oesterreichweit__1/bio_austria_bauerntage_2008_wer_hoch_waechst_muss_tief_wurzeln__1
- Die Rindfleisch-Kennzeichnung – Transparenz und Kontrolle schaffen
Vertrauen
http://www.ama-marketing.at/home/groups/16/RF_Kennzennzeichnung_freigegeben.pdf
- EU-Bio-Verordnung
http://www.bio-austria.at/bio_bauern/richtlinien/eu_bio_verordnung
- Fleisch und Milchprodukte
http://www.ooegeschichte.at/Zutaten_der_Klosterkueche.1143.0.html
- Geschichte der Almwirtschaft
http://www.almwirtschaft.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=38&Itemid=91
- Höchste Qualität heimischer Lebensmittel im Nationalpark Kalkalpen
http://root.riscompany.net/company/npk/html/qualitaetsprodukte_biorind.pdf
- Klima: Land OÖ
http://www.land-oberoesterreich.gv.at/cps/rde/xchg/SID-3DCFCFC3-D1C9380B/ooe/hs.xsl/18479_DEU_HTML.htm
- Klima: Österreich
http://www.austria.info/xxl/_site/de/_area/414540/_subArea/414596/_subArea2/384137/klimainoesterreich.html
- Meteorologisches Programm Nationalpark Kalkalpen
http://root.riscompany.net/company/npk/html/bmu2004_met_im.pdf
- Nationalpark Kalkalpen
http://www.kalkalpen.at/
- Nationalpark Kalkalpen
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalpark_Kalkalpen
- Nationalpark Kalkalpen Bio-Rind
http://www.genuss-region.at/article/archive/24974
- Nationalpark Kalkalpen Bio-Rind: Produzenten/Vermarkter
http://www.genuss-region.at/article/archive/25607
- Nationalpark Kalkalpen Bio-Rind: Region
http://www.genuss-region.at/article/archive/25604
- Nationalpark Kalkalpen Region Steyr- und Ennstal
http://www.nationalparkregion.com/
- Oberösterreichische Rundschau vom 2. Mai 2008
http://www.umweltzeichen.at/article/articleview/66398/1/9523
- Österreichs Genuss Region wird um Nationalpark Kalkalpen Bio-Rind
und Nationalpark Kalkalpen Obstsäfte erweitert
http://root.riscompany.net/company/npk/html/pressetext_npbiorind_obstsaft.pdf
- Österreich – Ein Land mit sehr unterschiedlichen Gesichtern
http://members.aon.at/mth/school/alpen/alpentext.htm#national
- Raumeinheit: Enns- und Steyrtaler Flyschberge
http://www.land-oberoesterreich.gv.at/cps/rde/xbcr/SID-2A68F5DC-CF60B151/ooe/Enns-_und_Steyrtaler_Flyschberge.pdf
- Rinder
http://www.bio-austria.at/bio_bauern/beratung/tierische_erzeugung/rinder/rinder
- Rind: Abstammung
http://www.rund-ums-rind.at/index.php?id=abstammung_domestikation
- Rind: Geschichte
http://www.rund-ums-rind.at/index.php?id=geschichte
- Verein Nahtur
http://www.natur.ch/fileadmin/natur/easyuser/L1_Ahrer.pdf
All internet references last accessed on 15th January 2009.
Language Code
German
Product of www.genuss-region.at
Yes
Regional contact
Erich Mayrhofer
Nationalpark O.ö. Kalkalpen Ges.m.b.H.
A-4591 Molln, Nationalpark Allee 1
Phone: +43 (0)7584/3951, Fax 3654-291
mayrhofer@kalkalpen.at
www.kalkalpen.at
Authors: Daniela Trenker, Eva Sommer, Erhard Höbaus
11.01.2012, Lebensministerium III/4