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Animal welfarepigs has been shown to be better for cooking and for health than lard from their pink relatives. Mangalica fat is full-flavored, hazelnut-scented and rich in Omega-3 fatty acids.A growing number of people are dedi- cating their life to this breed, includ- ing Christoph Wiesner from Arche De Wiskentale, in Göllersdorf. His whole family helps feed the pigs. Alongside wheat, rye and alfalfa, the pigs are also given cooked apples, which are more digestible and offer a better use of energy. “You can definitely tell the difference in the meat’s flavor,” as- serts Christoph. To spare the pigs the stress of a long journey, the Wiesners slaughter them at the farm, where the meat is also sold.Andreas Felleis and Patrick Knittelf- elder, of the Salzburg gastronomic and culinary network Felleis, Knittelfelder & Thunfisch, have taken a slightly differ- ent path. They needed to supply pork of the highest quality to their hotelsmakes it yellow. The Weideschwein pigs have 11 to 12 months to reach the right weight for slaughtering, which takes place nearby.The Research Institute of Organic Agri- culture (FiBL) recently organized a blind tasting of cured lard and prosciutto. The results showed that the free-range pigs were much superior to those that were industrially farmed. However, it also emerged that not everything or- ganic is outstanding. Artisanal slip-ups are becoming increasingly perceptible, with the commendable exception of the producers mentioned here.production coStSand national conSumption The Austrians eat 500,000 tons of pork a year; equal to 38 kilos a head. After Spain and Denmark, the country is Eu- rope’s third-biggest pork consumer. A farmer can earn between 160 and 170 euros from an unslaughtered 120-kilo pig. Even though Austria has the re-Diet is one of the fundamental aspects of animal welfare. In the industrial system, animals are mostly fed cornand soy (often genetically modified). Force-feeding is also not unusual. A natural diet involves the use of fresh fodder, supplemented, when necessary, with hay, cereals and legumes, produced as locally as possible. To find out more, download Slow Food’s Position Paper on Animal Welfareand restaurants, and so acquired their own Weideschwein pigs. The result was a cross between the Schwäbisch- Hällisch and Duroc breeds, hardy pigs that provide pork and fat of reliably good quality. The animals are fed po- tatoes, wheat and barley. Corn and soy are banned. This is something on which the Knittelfelder family and the Wiesners agree: A diet based on corn weakens the structure of the fat andsources to cover domestic demand, around 2.5 million pigs are imported and then exported. Production costs are lower in Denmark and northern Germany. This is due to wholesale feed costing less, and the slaughtering and butchering facilities employing workers from former-Soviet countries for very low wages. In Germany, an already- butchered pig might be sold for 30 eu- ros less than in Austria.63© JürGEn SChmüCKInG