Animal welfare initiative now also for cattle
The Animal Welfare Initiative (ITW) is starting with a new programme: With ITW Rind, Germany's largest animal welfare program will be offering an animal welfare solution for cattle from March 2022 and will create uniform animal welfare criteria for the whole range of cattle farming for the first time. The basis for this is formed by the animal welfare and animal health requirements of the QS quality assurance system, which is widespread on the market, to which the ITW adds an animal welfare plus. Right from the start, consumers will be able to identify meat and meat products from ITW companies in food retailing by the well-known ITW seal.
Registration for cattle fattening, veal fattening and dairy farms that can market their slaughter cows in the ITW program will start on March 15, 2022. The auditing begins on April 1, 2022. The commitment of the cattle and veal farmers is directly rewarded by the participation in the ITW by the customers (such as slaughterhouses). Dairy farms should liaise with their dairy and participate in an ITW-approved milk welfare program. Dairy farmers can then obtain approval for the ITW and market their slaughter cows as ITW animals.
“We are delighted to have reached another important milestone with ITW Rind,” emphasizes Robert Römer, Managing Director of the Animal Welfare Initiative. "We've been working towards this for a long time - always with the clear goal of establishing a higher level of animal welfare in the area of cattle farming."
dr Alexander Hinrichs, also managing director of the initiative, confirms: "As the largest animal welfare program in Germany, it is our intention to continuously develop the topic of animal welfare. Therefore, the new offer for cattle farms is an important part of a shared responsibility for animal husbandry, animal health and animal welfare in livestock farming.”
Financing model, criteria and test system
Animal owners who take part in the ITW cattle receive a defined price surcharge from their buyers for slaughtered ITW animals. The price surcharge for ITW animals in the first year of the program is 10,7 cents/kg slaughter weight. From the second year, this will be increased to at least 12,83 cents/kg slaughter weight - due to the addition of another animal welfare requirement from April 1, 2023: The scouring facilities must then also be installed in the stables.
There is no uniform price surcharge for veal fattening farms - this is negotiated bilaterally between the partners. Dairy farms that participate in the ITW or are admitted to the ITW through a recognized program receive a surcharge of 4 cents/kg slaughter weight for their slaughter cows.
Participating companies must implement defined QS basic criteria from animal husbandry, animal health and hygiene. Special husbandry requirements, such as cleanliness of the animals and intensive veterinary stock management, as well as the increased space, corresponding to husbandry type level 2, must also be taken into account. Additional special criteria are prescribed for dairy farming. The inspection system is analogous to that of pigs and poultry: During the three-year period, the animal keepers are inspected twice a year.
A detailed overview of the criteria to be met is available at www.initiative-tierwohl.de a DAK Bungalow.
About the Initiative animal welfare
With the Tierwohl (ITW) initiative launched in 2015, the partners from agriculture, the meat industry, food retail and gastronomy commit themselves to their joint responsibility for animal husbandry, animal health and animal welfare in livestock husbandry. The animal welfare initiative supports farmers in implementing measures for the welfare of their livestock that go beyond the legal standards. The implementation of these measures is monitored across the board by the Animal Welfare Initiative. The Animal Welfare Initiative's product seal only identifies products that come from animals from participating companies in the Animal Welfare Initiative. The animal welfare initiative is gradually establishing more animal welfare on a broad basis and is continuously being further developed in the process.
