Austria
Laws & Ordinances Relevant to Animal Welfare
We endeavour to provide accurate information. However, please note that we make no claim to completeness and assume no liability for the accuracy, completeness or suitability of the published information for any particular application or for any damages arising from actions taken on the basis of information contained in this or any other publications on this website or in a linked website.
EU Level
Animal Welfare:
- Article 13 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) recognises animals as sentient beings.
- Council Directive 98/58/EC of 20 July 1998 concerning the protection of animals kept for farming purposes
- Council Directive 1999/74/EC of 19 July 1999 laying down minimum standards for the protection of laying hens
- Council Directive 2007/43/EC of 28 June 2007 laying down minimum standards for the protection of chickens kept for meat production
- Council Directive 2008/120/EC of 18 December 2008 laying down minimum standards for the protection of pigs
- Council Directive 2008/119/EC of 18 December 2008 laying down minimum standards for the protection of calves
- Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds
- Directive 2010/63/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2010 on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes
- Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 of 22 December 2004 on the protection of animals during transport
- Council Regulation (EC) No 1099/2009 of 24 September 2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing
Animal health:
- Regulation (EC) No 726/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 laying down Community procedures for the authorisation and supervision of medicinal products for human and veterinary use and establishing a European Medicines Agency
- Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on transmissible animal diseases and amending and repealing certain acts in the area of animal health (‘Animal Health Law’)
Import & export, travelling with animals:
- Council Directive 83/129/EEC of 28 March 1983 concerning the importation into Member States of skins of certain seal pups and products derived therefrom
- Council Directive 89/370/EEC of 8 June 1989 amending Directive 83/129/EEC concerning the importation into Member States of skins of certain seal pups and products derived therefrom
- Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 June 2013 on the non-commercial movement of pet animals and repealing Regulation (EC) No 998/2003
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/688 of 17 December 2019 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2016/429 of the European Parliament and of the Council, as regards animal health requirements for movements within the Union of terrestrial animals and hatching eggs
- Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 577/2013 of 28 June 2013 on the model identification documents for the non-commercial movement of dogs, cats and ferrets, the establishment of lists of territories and third countries and the format, layout and language requirements of the declarations attesting compliance with certain conditions provided for in Regulation (EU) No 576/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council
Hunting and fishing:
- Commission Regulation (EU) No 737/2010 of 10 August 2010 laying down detailed rules for the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 1007/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council on trade in seal products
- Regulation (EU) No 1380/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on the Common Fisheries Policy, amending Council Regulations (EC) No 1954/2003 and (EC) No 1224/2009 and repealing Council Regulations (EC) No 2371/2002 and (EC) No 639/2004 and Council Decision 2004/585/EC
- Regulation (EU) 2017/2107 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 November 2017 laying down management, conservation and control measures applicable in the Convention area of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), and amending Council Regulations (EC) No 1936/2001, (EC) No 1984/2003 and (EC) No 520/2007
- Regulation (EU) 2018/975 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2018 laying down management, conservation and control measures applicable in the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation (SPRFMO) Convention Area
- Regulation (EU) 2019/1154 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on a multiannual recovery plan for Mediterranean swordfish and amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1967/2006 and Regulation (EU) 2017/2107 of the European Parliament and of the Council
- Regulation (EU) 2019/1241 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 June 2019 on the conservation of fisheries resources and the protection of marine ecosystems through technical measures, amending Council Regulations (EC) No 1967/2006, (EC) No 1224/2009 and Regulations (EU) No 1380/2013, (EU) 2016/1139, (EU) 2018/973, (EU) 2019/472 and (EU) 2019/1022 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Council Regulations (EC) No 894/97, (EC) No 850/98, (EC) No 2549/2000, (EC) No 254/2002, (EC) No 812/2004 and (EC) No 2187/2005
- Regulation (EU) 2021/56 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 January 2021 laying down management, conservation and control measures applicable in the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Convention area and amending Council Regulation (EC) No 520/2007
- Regulation (EU) 2022/2056 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 October 2022 laying down conservation and management measures applicable in the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Convention Area and amending Council Regulation (EC) No 520/2007
- Regulation (EU) 2022/2343 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 November 2022 laying down management, conservation and control measures applicable in the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) Area of Competence, amending Council Regulations (EC) No 1936/2001, (EC) No 1984/2003 and (EC) No 520/2007
Other legislation directly or indirectly relevant to animal welfare:
- Regulation (EC) No 1760/2000 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 July 2000 establishing a system for the identification and registration of bovine animals and regarding the labelling of beef and beef products and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 820/97
Federal Level
The Documentation and Information Centre for Animal Welfare and Veterinary Law at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna – jointly assigned to the Messerli Research Institute for Human-Animal Interactions and the Centre for Animal Nutrition and Animal Welfare Sciences – serves as a point of contact for all questions concerning the legal relationship between humans and animals. The Documentation and Information Centre provides the currently consolidated version of the most important federal animal-related legal provisions online. The compilation of laws is available here: https://www.vetmeduni.ac.at/tierschutzrecht/rechtsgrundlagen LEOH shares this link with the kind permission of Hofrätin DDr Regina Binder.
Weitere für den Tierschutz direkt oder indirekt relevante Erlasse:
- Bundesgesetz zur Durchführung des europäischen Tiergesundheitsrechts, zur Abwehr und Bekämpfung von Tierseuchen sowie zur Überwachung, Erhaltung und Verbesserung der Tiergesundheit (Tiergesundheitsgesetz 2024 – TGG 2024), StF: BGBl. I Nr. 53/2024
- Bundesgesetz mit dem das Berufsrecht der Tierärztinnen und Tierärzte geregelt wird (Tierärztegesetz – TÄG), StF: BGBl. I Nr. 171/2021
Country Level
Die Jagd ist in Österreich auf Länderebene geregelt. Auch das Fischereiwesen (Gesetzgebung und -vollziehung) ist Ländersache. Die Gesetze der österreichischen Bundesländer finden sich im Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS): https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Land/