The program to ensure animal welfare in Germany celebrates its first 10 years

Published 2025년 1월 28일

Tridge summary

The article highlights the growth and impact of the ITW (Tierwohlleistungsinitiative e.V.) initiative in improving animal welfare in the German agricultural sector. Since its inception in 2015, it has gained support from 14,000 companies, particularly in the beef, pig, and poultry industries, with notable increases in poultry and pig breeders. The initiative, which includes a program for livestock farmers, has been well-received by the public, with an 85% positive rating in a Forsa survey. It imposes stringent animal welfare standards, such as additional living space and climate control, and requires QS-certified animal feed. Inspecting participating companies an average of twice a year, ITW has seen only 0.78% of inspections fail, demonstrating the effectiveness of its monitoring system and the commitment of most farmers to high animal welfare standards.

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Original content

14,000 companies are registered with ITW: 20% of beef, 60% of pig and almost 90% of poultry. Since 2015, the number of participating poultry companies has increased from 896 to 2,812 in 2024. The number of participating sow breeders, piglet breeders and fatteners increased over the same period from 2010 to 9,948 companies. The programme for livestock farmers, introduced in 2022, increased from 267 to 1,236 farms in two years. Most consumers are also familiar with ITW. According to a current Forsa survey, 71% of Germans have heard or read about the Animal Welfare Initiative. At the same time, 85% of respondents rate ITW positively and are convinced of its concept. The requirements for increased animal welfare have been constantly evolving since ITW was founded in 2015, as has the monitoring system. They include numerous animal welfare criteria such as additional space, stable climate control and drinking water, as well as QS-certified animal feed. On average, participating ...

Source: Agromeat