FAZ editor Christina Hucklenbroich receives the Bernd Tönnies Prize

Award for work on keeping farm animals / "Your professional standards go far beyond the normal level"

Christina Hucklenbroich, editor in the nature and science department of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, is the first winner of the Bernd Tönnies Prize. The qualified veterinarian received the award for her journalistic work, in particular her work on keeping farm animals. The prize, which is worth 10.000 euros, was presented to her by Clemens Tönnies on the evening before the Tönnies Research Symposium, which was held for the first time.

Christina Hucklenbroich together with laudator Dr. dr Kai Frölich (left) and Clemens Tönnies Pictures: Tönnies

“In her articles, Christina Hucklenbroich knows how to address grievances and complicated connections in animal husbandry and animal health, free from polemics or superficial opinion-making. These are analyzed at a high professional level and ways of solving the problems are shown," praised the laudator, Dr. dr Kai Frölich, deputy chairman of the board of trustees and director of the Arche Warder eV animal park in Schleswig-Holstein. In addition to articles that deal with the specific husbandry conditions of animals, there is also sufficient room in her work for general ethical aspects of animal protection. "Due to the rare combination of studying veterinary science and working as an editor, Christina Hucklenbroich's articles are always based on well-founded scientific statements and go far beyond the normal level in terms of their professional standards," said Frölich.

Christina Hucklenbroich has been with the FAZ since 2007. The Bernd Tönnies Prize is the fifth journalist prize in her young career: in 2010 she received "The Silver Horse" from the German Riders' and Drivers' Association and the "Eureka Prize for Science Journalism". In 2011 she was awarded the “2. Medtronic Media Award and Guardian Volunteer Award for a series on salaries and working conditions for young veterinarians.

The Bernd Tönnies Prize, awarded for the first time this year, honors scientific and journalistic work, book publications or other activities that deal with future-oriented animal welfare aspects in livestock husbandry. The prize is awarded by the "Non-profit society for the promotion of research on the future of animal welfare in livestock farming", in short: "Tönnies Research".

Tönnies Research intends to award the prize, which commemorates the company founder Bernd Tönnies, who died in 1994, every two years. Possible award winners can be proposed by the foundation board of trustees or by third parties.

Tönnies Research supports research projects on animal welfare with a special focus on livestock farming. For this purpose, a non-profit organization was founded in 2010 with the aim of promoting scientific principles in order to achieve further improvements in the connection between animal use and animal welfare. This also includes the areas of nutrition, husbandry and transport of animals. Basic research in this field should be broader and further scientific expertise should be made possible.

The Board of Trustees includes: Ministerialdirigent aD Prof. Dr. Werner Zwingmann (Chairman); private Dr. dr Kai Frölich (Deputy Chairman; Director of the Tierpark Arche Warder eV in Schleswig-Holstein); dr Hans-Joachim Bätza (vet); Mechthild Bening (Galloways vom Bebensee), Prof. Dr. dr hc Jörg Hartung (Director of the Institute for Animal Hygiene, Animal Welfare and Livestock Ethology at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hanover), MdB Franz-Josef Holzenkamp, ​​Prof. Dr. Ulrich Krell (lawyer); dr Wilhelm Jaeger (head of the agriculture department, Tönnies); Prof. Dr. dr hc Thomas Mettenleiter (President of the Friedrich Löffler Institute – Insel Riems); Sabine Ohm (European officer PROVIEH VStM eV); Heinz Osterloh (President of the Federal Association for Livestock and Meat). Chairman of the Board of Trustees: Clemens Tönnies.

Source: Berlin [Tönnies]