European Dialogue on Fleckvieh Breeding – Conformation Specialists Meet in Austria
In October 2025, national delegates of the Working Group on Conformation of the European Association of Fleckvieh Breeders (EVF) met in Austria. The venue for this year’s meeting was the GENOSTAR AI centre in Gleisdorf, Styria.
The Conformation Working Group is one of the most active within the EVF. Its goals are the Europe-wide harmonisation of the linear type scoring of Fleckvieh cows using FleckScore, and the continuous professional development of the national delegates in matters of conformation and breeding.
Strong interest
Reinhard Pfleger, Head of the Working Group, welcomed representatives from 13 EVF- member countries to Austria. The strong turnout underlines both the high interest in the two-day technical programme and the close cooperation among the European Fleckvieh nations.
Practice front and centre
Day one focused entirely on the practical application of FleckScore for linear type scoring of Fleckvieh cows. The breeding farm of Barbara and Benedikt Hiebaum in St. Margarethen an der Raab offered ideal conditions. Six first-lactation Fleckvieh cows were presented for evaluation in the open lot.
The Hiebaum family’s farm provided excellent conditions for the practical training session.
Scoring was performed using the online tool www.fleckscore.com. Individual results were then benchmarked against the reference using the integrated FleckSchool tool. Participants could immediately analyse their own results and discuss them with the chief classifiers from Germany and Austria. This hands-on format not only sharpens the assessor’s eye but also advances the international harmonisation of FleckScore evaluations.
The Hiebaum Fleckvieh herd currently numbers 113 cows with a herd average of 12,900 kg milk and has achieved remarkable progress in breeding and herd management in recent years.
The Hiebaum family
Hubert Anzenberger
Smiles all round after the practical session at the Hiebaum farm
Austrian evening
At the invitation of Fleckvieh Austria, participants enjoyed a convivial Austrian evening at Weinhof Sax in Prebensdorf. Regional Styrian specialities provided the perfect backdrop for professional and personal exchange.
High-calibre technical programme
Day two centred on continuing education, featuring a series of presentations on current topics in Fleckvieh breeding.
Sebastian Auernig, President of the World and European Fleckvieh Federaion and President of Fleckvieh Austria, spoke on “Breeding Objective Fleckvieh – Expanding the Joint Breeding Value Evaluation in Europe.” He outlined the evolution of the breeding objective with selection on the overall breeding value, highlighted the advantages of cross-border collaboration, and reported on ongoing efforts to integrate additional countries into the shared breeding value system.
Dr Shahrbanou Hosseini (LfL) presented current results from conformation evaluations in the countries that contribute phenotypes to the Conformation Breeding Value—currently Germany, Austria, Czechia, Italy and Slovakia. She showed regional differences in recording certain traits and stressed the importance of correctly recording defects, as these can significantly affect the Over All scores for Feet and Legs and Udder.
Reinhard Pfleger (Fleckvieh Austria) reported on the analysis of the member survey conducted after last year’s Working Group meeting in Italy. One outcome was the decision to test new conformation traits—specifically rear udder height, rear udder width, chest width and pelvic width as well as to record the defect rear udder eczema.
Using graphical illustrations, Thomas Pfaller (LfL) explained the definitions of these test traits, which have been recorded by LfL colleagues since November 2024. Hubert Anzenberger (LfL) presented first results from this test phase, in which these traits have already been collected for over 20,000 first-lactation cows. The analyses yielded valuable insights into the distribution of trait expressions and their relationships with existing conformation traits. The Working Group aims to continue the trial recording in order to quantify correlations with cow longevity and to estimate heritabilities under scientific supervision. Based on this evidence, a decision will then be made on the possible introduction of new linear traits and faults and their weighting in the Feet and Legs and Udder Over All scores.
Hermann Schwarzenbacher (ZuchtData) spoke on “Long-Living Cows and Their Conformation.” He demonstrated the links between length of productive life, lifetime yield and individual conformation traits. For long herd life, a moderate frame, high udder floor and strong fore-udder attachment are particularly decisive. For high lifetime productivity, udder length and the median suspensory ligament emerged as key traits. He also presented further analyses confirming the high predictive accuracy of genomic conformation breeding values.
President Auernig presented the current status of the joint breeding value evaluation for Fleckvieh
Speakers at the EVF Working Group on Conformation meeting in Austria (not on the photo: President Auernig)
GENOSTARs Live
Providing a welcome change of pace, GENOSTAR presented current sires. Director Peter Stückler introduced a selection of highly promising young bulls such as GS METRIS Pp*, GS HOTDOG and GS MC BAUER Pp*. In addition, two Oldstars of Fleckvieh breeding -WINTERTRAUM and GS WUHUDLER—were showcased. The bull presentation effectively conveyed to the international audience GENOSTAR’s breeding philosophy for Fleckvieh and the breadth of its genetic offering.
The bull presentation at GENOSTAR was a highlight of this year’s meeting
Country reports provide essential overview
To conclude, delegates from the 13 EVF member countries present reported on the current situation of Fleckvieh breeding in their countries, creating a comprehensive picture of developments across Europe’s breeding regions.
Delegates also addressed the question of which conformation traits in their Fleckvieh populations have not developed in the desired direction in recent years. The Working Group’s leadership will analyse this feedback and derive the necessary conclusions for the further development of the FleckScore system in the coming years.
Thanks and outlook
In the final feedback round, delegates emphasised the high added value of holding the event in Austria and offered suggestions for future meetings.
As an additional sporting incentive, the EVF endowed a rotating trophy, awarded to the classifier whose scores deviate least from the reference. The inaugural award went to Johannes Penz from Austria.
Sincere thanks go to the GENOSTAR team and Rind Steiermark for their excellent support in preparing and running the two-day seminar, and to the Hiebaum family for opening their barn and extending warm hospitality.
The next meeting of the EVF Working Group on Conformation is planned for autumn 2027.
Author: Ing. Reinhard Pfleger, Head of EVF Working Group Conformation
Photos: Fleckvieh Austria, ASR