Traditionelle Lebensmittel - Nockberge Almrind

Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman

Nockberge Almrind

Record Number: 137

Disclosure Date
Cattle were already being kept in the Nockberge region in Carinthia around 1500.

Photo: BMLFUW/A...
Title
Nockberge Almrind
(Nockberge alp cattle)

Abstract or claim
The breeding of Nockberge Almrind is the result of traditional knowledge of breeding and extensive cattle husbandry over the centuries in the Nockberge Region of Carinthia.
The pastures of the Nockberge Almrind are located at an altitude between 1,500 and 2,440 m. The grazing of the alpine pastures up to the summit area is one of the special features of the region.
The beef of the Nockberge Almrind is characterised by its tender marbling, fine-grained texture and juiciness. The meat has a very unique aroma and flavour, 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.

Name of product, Product class
Beef, fresh meat

Name of region
Nockberge, Carinthia, Austria

Field of search
Food and agriculture

Name of information provider
Dietmar Rossmann
Chairman of Bäuerliche Vermarktung Nockfleisch Gen.m.b.H.
(Rural Marketing Nockfleisch)

Name of applicant for title
---

Holder of knowledge or associated resources
14 members, 6 of which are organic farms of the Bäuerliche Vermarktung Nockfleisch (Rural Marketing Nockfleisch)

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 earliest evidence of domestic cattle comes from Greece.

Already in the 5th millennium BC natural alpine pastures above the timber line were utilised in Austria.
As early as in the 7th century AD organised alpine pasture farming started and continued to be developed.

Since then, cattle have ensured the survival of the human race by not only acting as a supplier of milk and meat, but also as a beneficial source of labour, for example, as draught animals in agriculture. To get the most use from them, cattle breeds were bred with specific uses in mind.

Since the middle of the 12th century, a special form of intensive animal husbandry has been reported in Carinthia, the so-called “Schwaigen”. “Schwaig” is a Middle High German word which generally refers to a special type of settlement and, in particular, to a type of farming in alpine regions. "Schwaighof" farmhouses were often established as permanent settlements by sovereigns for breeding cattle and sheep, with a particular emphasis on dairy farming (in particular, for producing cheese).
In Carinthia, they have been documented since the early Middle Ages.
Later, the term “Schwaige” was sometimes used to refer to alpine pastures used only during the summer months. Dairymen and dairywomen are also referred to as "Schwaiger" and "Schwaigerin".

Alpine pasture farming was an important livelihood for the people in the Nockberge region, especially in what is today Nockberge National Park. The farmers had to advance into higher regions where they cleared woodlands to create pasture land, since there wasn’t enough land around the farms in the valley for agricultural use. The straight timber line in the Nockberge Mountains is evidence that the extension of the available pasture land at the expense of woodland had already begun in the Middle Ages.

Around 1500, the Karlbad (Karl’s bath), which is today a spa in Bad Kleinkirchheim, had already been in use as a farmers’ bath.
This spa, which is located directly on the alpine pasture, serves as proof that the alpine pastures in the Nockberge Mountains were already being used for alpine farming back then.

At this time, the cultivation of the Nockberge Mountains was more intensive than today. During the summer the cattle grazed on the alpine pasture, and all the milk was processed right there on the alpine pasture.

In 1987, the Nockberge National Park was officially established in Carinthia and was classified as a “protected landscape” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

In 2004, the Bäuerliche Vermarktung Nockfleisch (Rural Marketing Nockfleisch, in short “BV Nockfleisch”) was founded. The aim is to offer consumers and restaurants in the region farm-grown products like the Nockberge Almrind by direct marketing.

- Region:
Geologically speaking, the Nockberge Mountains are considered to be the oldest mountain range of the Eastern Alps. In terms of geography, they are situated in the north of Middle Carinthia and form the western part of the Gurktaler Alps.
The Liesertal and the Millstättertal Valleys form the western border of the region, the provinces of Salzburg and Upper Austria the northern border, the line from Flattnitz-Höhe – Glödnitzbach – Enge Gurk the eastern border and the Gegendtal Valley the southern border.

The name Nockberge comes from the gently rounded shape of the mountains and summits of crystalline rock (the Austrian "Nockerl" means small dumpling). Most of the mountains lie between 2,000 and 2,400 m above sea level.

The Nockberge region comprises the municipalities of Bad Kleinkirchheim, Krems, Radenthein, Ebene Reichenau, Feld am See, Deutsch-Griffen, Gnesau, Himmelberg, Albeck and the villages around them.

The Nockberge National Park encompasses a 184 km² nature reserve in the northwestern Nockberge Mountains.

Habitat:
In the Nockberge region, there are a total of 200 alpine pastures, 90 of which are located directly in the national park.

The alpine pastures of the Nockberge Almrind are located at an altitude between 1,500 and 2,441 m above sea level. The grazing of the alpine pastures up to the summit area is one of the special characteristics of the region.
The whole region comprises about 200 km²of pasture land, 80 km² of which is found in the national park area.

Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman

The mountain pastures are grazed by about 10,000 cattle, nearly half of which in the national park. The keeping of livestock on alpine pastures prevents the growth of shrubs and forests and makes an important contribution to the preservation of the current landscape.

About 50 % of the alpine pastures are privately owned by individuals, about 45 % are privately owned as an alp association and about 5 % are in the possession of the “Österreichische Bundesforste” (Austrian Federal Forests), which are leased and managed by regional farmers.

The last ice age has left its mark on the landscape up to this day. The characteristic trough valleys with their broad valley floors and steep flanks reaching up to the trough shoulder before flattening out have the glaciers to thank for their U-shape.

Besides luscious grasslands and alpine pastures full of a variety of grasses and aromatic alpine herbs, the region provides top quality hay from the mountain pastures and nutrient-rich, crystal clear spring water.

Soil and climate conditions:
The Nockberge are a low mountain range landscape composed of the primitive rock of the Gurktaler Alps. Glaciers have formed the rounded mountain ridges of mica slate, paragneiss, and quartz phylitte. Magnesite, iron ore and anthracite also contribute to the composition of the mountains.

However, what is truly special about the geography of the Nockberge is the range of limestone and dolomite rock, formed by the calcareous deposits of the primordial ocean around 230 million years ago. This up to 3 km wide strip extends north to south all the way through the national park.

The central location of the Nockberge situates it climatically in the continental, dry region.
The climate of the Nockberge is characterised by an unusual amount of sunshine and little rain. The rain fronts are blocked by the Niedere Tauern (Lower Tauern) Mountains in the north, the Hohe Tauern (Upper Tauern) Mountains in the west and the Julische (Julian) Alps as well as the Karawanken Mountains in the south. The relatively low precipitation mainly falls in the summer months in the form of thunder showers and the little snowfall is often transported by gale force winds. Furthermore, icy cold prevails in the dead of winter. The average yearly precipitation is 1,100 mm and the average yearly temperature is 7 °C.

- Nockberge Almrind (Nockberge alp cattle):

GENUSS REGION ÖSTERREICH KÄRNTEN - Nockberge Almrind - Rinder auf der Turracher Höhe

Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman

The term Nockberge Almrind mainly represents the breeds Fleckvieh, and partially the Pinzgauer Rind and Charolais as well as crossbreeds of them.

The breeding as well as the slaughter and cutting are only done in the defined area.

Nockberge Almrind comprises bulls, heifers and young cattle. Most of the cattle slaughtered are heifers.

Method of production:
Breeding/fattening:
Nockberge Almrind cattle are mainly born and raised in the region.
In addition, cattle ready for slaughter are also bought from the Feldkirchen region and then slaughtered and processed in the Nockberge region. However, these must be grazed as foreign livestock for at least one summer on an alpine pasture in the Nockberge region before being purchased. This must be demonstrated at the time of delivery by the alpine transhumance list.

The method of raising the breeding flock is specific to the region.
The animals are reared extensively on unfertilised alpine pastures in the summer between the beginning of June and mid-September for a period of at least 90 days a year.

Every animal has about 2 hectares of alpine pasture for grazing. The stocking density of the pasture land of the Nockberge region may not exceed 0.55 livestock units (LU)/hectare.

The animals have to be kept in such a way that their welfare is ensured at every stage of their lives.

Stables or other shelters have to be available on the pastures to protect the animals from heat, thunderstorms and insects.

During winter the animals are kept in special free stalls or group pens, where the animals have enough space to move freely and to lie down.
Farms in transition may use neckbands or light weighted chains in tie-stalls for a limited time. Tethering of cattle is strictly forbidden on organic farms.

Calves are kept and suckled with their mothers. At sexual maturity, the animals are divided into male and female to prevent uncontrolled mating.

Insemination can be natural or artificial. Farms keeping suckler cows often have their own bull (mostly a meat breed one) in the flock. The bull is kept with the herd during the mating period. Breeding farms often apply artificial insemination to keep the quality of breeding as high as possible.

Feeding:
In summer, the basis of the fodder is a variety of grasses and aromatic alpine herbs, which lends the meat its distinctive taste. Additionally, the animals on the alpine pasture are supplied with crystal clear spring water.

In winter, the cattle are fed hay as well as grass and corn silage. The cattle are also fed a small dose of barley and wheat. The mixture of cereals is made up individually and fed in the form of grains.
The feed given the animals comes exclusively from the farm itself.

The share of hay feed is increased 6 to 8 weeks before slaughtering to improve the quality of the meat.

The addition of antibiotics, fattening aids, colouring agents or genetically modified grains is forbidden.

Transport and Slaughter:
The animals are slaughtered between 10 and 30 months old at a live weight of about 600 kg, which is equivalent to a carcass weight of 300 to 350 kg.

The slaughtering, cutting, refrigeration and maturing are exclusively carried out by an EC-approved slaughterhouse in Patergassen in the municipality of Ebene Reichenau.
On average, 5 cattle are slaughtered every week (mainly heifers), although the quantity of slaughtering varies greatly depending upon season.

The animals are brought to the slaughterhouse by the farmers themselves for the following reasons: less stress on the animals since the animals know the farmer, short journeys, using boxes to keep the animals separate during transport, and higher meat quality due to less stress.

Before and after slaughtering, the animals are officially inspected and examined by a veterinarian.

Afterwards, the meat matures for at least 7 days and is refrigerated at 2 - 4 °C in the cold storage and maturing rooms of the slaughterhouse. The special maturing process guarantees high quality beef.

Description of the meat:
The grazing and therefore supply of valuable herbs as well as the fortification of the musculature through exercise guarantee premium meat quality.

The meat is cherry red and tastes particularly tender and mellow because of the maturing process. In the course of the maturing process, the connective tissue is broken down, which allows the flavour to develop.

A fresh meat smell and a low percentage of fat are characteristic of Nockberge Almrind.

Quality control:
As part of the HACCP concept, every step from slaughtering to marketing is voluntarily documented in writing by the butchers in cooperation with the farmers.

- Marketing:
The marketing of Nockberge Almrind is directly carried out by BV Nockfleisch reg. Gen.m.b.H. (Rural Marketing Nockfleisch Gen.m.b.H.) under the designation “NOCKFLEISCH”.

GENUSS REGION ÖSTERREICH KÄRNTEN - Nockberge Almrind - gekochter Brustkern mit Wurzelgemüse, Koch: Thomas Leeb (Küchenchef im Hotel Hochschober auf der Turracher Höhe)

Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman

NOCKFLEISCH stands for the characteristic local and rustic quality of the products of the region. The products are sold year-round in both “BV Nockfleisch Produktion und Verkauf” (Rural Marketing Nockfleisch Production and Sale) shops in Patergassen and in the Taferner butcher shop in Himmelberg as well as in the Eisentalhöhe farmers’s shop on the Nockstraße Route from May to October. Furthermore, Nockberge Almrind is offered in the regional retail and restaurant and catering trade as well as in other parts of Carinthia.

- 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 climatic conditions in the Nockberge region of Carinthia result in
  an extensive native flora that supports extensive cattle husbandry of
Nockberge Almrindon alpine pastures, which are often grazed all the way
  up to the peak.
- Nockberge Almrindcomprises cattle breeds which are well-adapted to the
  regional climatic conditions.
- Traditional rearing systems: Extensive keeping of herds on alpine pastures
during the summer months from the beginning of June to mid-September.
- 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 flora.
- The breeding and production of Nockberge Almrindis the result of traditional
knowledge, which has been passed on from generation to generation: the
knowledge and experience of the cattle farmers (adapting the keeping of
the herd 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
  (experience in slaughtering, cutting, and special meat maturing process)
  and the expertise of the farmers.

- Utilization:
Nockberge Almrind is offered as raw or processed meat.

GENUSS REGION ÖSTERREICH KÄRNTEN - Nockberge Almrind - Nocksalami der BV Nockfleisch

Photo: BMLFUW/Rita Newman

17.01.2012, Lebensministerium III/4

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Nockberge Almrind