Animal Welfare Innovation Award is presented for the third time
For the third time, the Animal Welfare Initiative (ITW) is awarding the Animal Welfare Innovation Award. This year it goes to outstanding projects by three pig farmers: the "pig ambulance", the pig husbandry concept with combined stall and free-range husbandry, and the stall system for preserving the curly tail. The ITW awards the Animal Welfare Innovation Prize every year for outstanding achievements that effectively raise the level of animal welfare in the stables and improve the handling of the animals in an innovative way.
Bringing animals in need of care to the designated pens quickly, gently and without stress: That is the idea behind the “pig ambulance” of the Luiten-Vreeman family from the Münsterland region. Thanks to a floor that can be lowered and two opening options at the front and rear, even severely handicapped animals can easily get in and out of the transport trolley - this means enormous relief for animal and owner. For this efficient solution, Ingrid and Arnet Luiten-Vreeman received the Animal Welfare Innovation Award along with prize money of 10.000 euros.
In addition, the Schneider family from the Hessian district of Limburg-Weilburg also received the award together with prize money of 7.000 euros. With their husbandry concept, the family is pursuing an approach that combines the positive aspects of stable and free-range husbandry. For this purpose, an open-front stable with straw was built, which is directly connected to the pasture. The pigs have access to the pasture all year round and can withdraw to the barn at any time depending on the weather.
The topic of "preserving the curly tail" is particularly important to Jan-Hendrick Hohls from the Celle district. That is why he has also developed a holistic barn concept in which keeping with curly tails is quite possible. With a special pen structure, the piglet stable offers the animals a lot of variety: Among other things, with a balcony that creates additional temperature areas and new, interesting places to exercise. With this idea, Jan-Hendrick Hohls is recognized as a further winner of the Animal Welfare Innovation Award, combined with prize money of 5.000 euros.
"Creative and constructive - that describes the visions of our award winners particularly well," summarizes Robert Römer, Managing Director of the Animal Welfare Initiative, in an impressed manner. "The well thought-out ideas and approaches of this year's submissions confirm that it is important and sensible to give pet owners the opportunity to present their innovations to the public in order to spread the topic of animal welfare even further."
The official award ceremony for the first-placed Luiten-Vreeman family, second-placed Schneider family and third-placed Jan-Hendrick Hohls took place during an event moderated by moderator and journalist Jörg Thadeusz. The laudations were held by Prof. Dr. Lars Schrader (Friedrich Loeffler Institute), Prof. Dr. Folkhard Isermeyer (Thünen Institute) and Prof. Dr. Harald Grethe (Albrecht Daniel Thaer Institute). Video recordings of the laudations, information on the award winners and their projects can be found at www.initiative-tierwohl.de.
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. www.initiative-tierwohl.de
