Fresh fish and modern animal welfare must go hand in hand. In a groundbreaking joint project, the Vienna Veterinary Office, the Market Office, and the Institute for Aquatic Ecology and Fisheries Management of the Federal Office for Water Management—together with the Lower Austria Rural Training Institute and the Chambers of Agriculture—launched a new course, which took place for the first time in October. The goal of the initiative is to provide targeted training to employees at Vienna’s market stalls on handling carp and other live fish—with a special focus on animal welfare during holding, stunning, and slaughter.
Animal Welfare as a Quality Mark
Fresh carp is a popular edible fish, especially during the cooler fall and winter months. At Vienna’s markets, the fish come largely from local pond farms in Lower Austria, primarily from the Waldviertel region. The fish are traditionally sold alive and slaughtered fresh for sale.
Employees of the Vienna Market Authority are regularly on site, monitoring factors such as adherence to the cold chain as well as stall and personal hygiene. Equally important for a truly high-quality product, however, is the proper handling of the animals. “With this new training program, we are equipping the staff at Vienna’s markets with the skills to handle live fish properly, thereby making an important contribution to quality, safety, and active animal welfare,” said Christian Seiringer, interim director of the Vienna Market Office.
Training on Animal Welfare
“As the City of Vienna’s Veterinary Office, we are responsible for ensuring that all necessary animal welfare standards are fully complied with when handling animals,” explains Ruth Jily, director of the Veterinary Office. “Since we received isolated reports that carp were being caught, stunned, or slaughtered from the tanks in a manner that did not comply with animal welfare standards, we took the initiative. With this course, we want to address this issue head-on and bring about a lasting improvement in the situation for both the fish and the staff.”
The newly launched, free course is aimed at all market stall employees. The courses, which were held for the first time in October 2026, are designed to be as practical as possible and, in particular, to teach participants about legal requirements. The experts from the Federal Agency bring many years of experience in fisheries and aquaculture, as well as in teaching relevant subject matter. Following a theoretical training session, participants will receive hands-on instruction directly at the market stalls from fisheries management experts to ensure that procedures at the stalls comply with animal welfare laws. Particular emphasis was placed on gentle handling, proper stunning, and correct slaughtering techniques. The course is organized by the Lower Austrian Rural Training Institute (LFI) in cooperation with the Lower Austrian Chamber of Agriculture. The course is also funded by the European Maritime, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF 2021–2027), which allows it to be offered free of charge and with low barriers to entry.
Respectful Treatment as the Standard
Jürgen Czernohorszky, City Councilor for Animal Welfare, is convinced: “With this proactive step, the participating authorities are ensuring that tradition at Vienna’s markets is combined with modern animal welfare standards. Consumers can thus be confident that their locally sourced fish is not only of the highest quality but has also been treated with the respect due to a living creature right up to the very end.”
“Anyone who buys a carp should be able to trust that the fish was treated with respect. With this training, we’re helping market vendors live up to their own standards every day,” said Deputy Mayor and City Councilor for Markets Bettina Emmerling.
The courses were funded under the European Maritime, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) for 2021–2027.