More details about the individual levels can be found on the website haltungsform.de
Important: The husbandry form label itself is not an animal welfare program – and therefore does not allow any direct conclusions to be drawn about animal welfare. It only assigns existing animal welfare programs to a level. That is why we as consumers always find another seal on the pack in addition to the form of husbandry. There are 14 different programs and seals for chickens, 40 for pigs and 30 for cattle (as of May 2023).
14 animal welfare seals can currently be assigned to one type of husbandry in chicken fattening alone. (Photo: www.haltungsform.de)
14 animal welfare seals can currently be assigned to one type of husbandry in chicken fattening alone. (Photo: www.haltungsform.de)
What the “Conservation Form” label does well
Businesses in the German retail trade label their meat products with the “keeping form”, including the large discounters and supermarket chains Aldi, Edeka, Kaufland, Lidl, Netto, Penny, Real and rewe. A big plus, says Constanze Rubach from the consumer center in Lower Saxony. She sees a good one Approach for more transparency. “It tries to make the housing conditions for animals quickly and easily comprehensible,” says Rubach – even if the retail chains could provide more information about what the individual types of housing mean.
However, the criticism of the label outweighs Rubach’s. Why?
What the “Human Form” label could do better
Rubach divides her criticism into several points.
CommitmentComparabilityRelevance
The liability – they don’t exist. The “Human Form” label is a voluntary initiative. In the last market check by the consumer advice center, numerous meat products from the big chains were missing, says Rubach. The fresh food counter is completely absent. “That leads directly to the next problem,” says Rubach.
The comparability – it is, at best, limited. “If the labels is not found on all products, it is difficult for me as a consumer to make comparisons,” criticizes Rubach. Especially since there is usually no choice when making a purchase decision based on animal welfare criteria: In 2020*, most products were available in husbandry level 1, which just about meets the minimum legal standards.
Source: Market Check by Consumer Advice Centers (2020)
Source: Market Check by Consumer Advice Centers (2020)
*More recent figures are not available. The animal welfare initiative, which is responsible for the husbandry form label, is currently working on a new survey. “It is already becoming apparent that far more than 60 percent of pigs are offered in level 2,” estimates Marketing Director Patrick Klein to ZDFheute. When it comes to poultry, almost the entire range is in level 2, while 80 to 90 percent of cattle are in level 1. About ten percent are divided between husbandry types 3 and 4.
The meaningfulness – for Rubach it hardly exists either. “What does the label show – and what doesn’t? It shows,” says Rubach, “above all the husbandry criteria: how much space does the animal have, how is the stall on the farm structured.” What it doesn’t show? Among other things, Rubach mentions the health of the animals, stress management in the barn and other stages of the animals’ lives, such as rearing, transport and slaughter. “These are all animal welfare criteria, but these points are not taken into account,” says Rubach. Consumers could therefore not be sure that the animal had really fared well.
Lars Schrader, head of the Institute for Animal Welfare and Animal Husbandry at the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, also emphasizes these aspects. Although one can be sure that the Level 3 and 4 husbandry conditions “per se are first of all significantly better than the legal minimum requirements,” says Schrader. But: “What matters is how the animals are handled, cared for and treated when the animals get sick.”
And now?
What an animal welfare label could look like
For animal welfare expert Constanze Rubach, one thing is clear: so that consumers can be sure that the animals’ well-being was taken care of until they were slaughtered, “there is a need for a binding state animal welfare label“. The big advantage is that, firstly, it is mandatory for all products and, secondly, it is subject to state-verifiable control. In addition, it makes all other labels superfluous – we remember: With the husbandry label alone, there are 14 different animal welfare programs for chickens, 40 for pigs, 30 for cattle. “It’s about consistency and an end to the confusion of all consumers,” says Rubach.
Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) has at least one for pigs state animal husbandry license announcedt – livestock farming, not animal welfare. It should from that 1 January 2024 apply and inform consumers in five categories how the pig lived in the barn:
Source: Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
Source: Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
For consumers, this means “more transparency”, says Rubach. “It will be easier to choose animal-friendly products whose criteria are then also checked by the state.” A breakthrough the label is for the animals though not yetRubach criticizes similar points as with the voluntary housing label:
Animal husbandry label has no significance in terms of animal welfare; Consumers cannot assume that lower forms of husbandry guarantee a sufficient level of animal welfare. The label should initially only apply to fattening, but not to rearing, slaughtering and transport. The label should initially only apply to unprocessed meat, not to processed goods such as sausages, “which Pork is a major part”
Rubach also wonders whether the label is being read correctly by consumers. “Terms on which the new labeling system is based should be scientifically checked for their comprehensibility,” demands Rubach.
The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture wants the label to go to other stations and meat products expand. However, a timetable is unknown. It is also still unclear when a state logo for cattle, chickens and other fattening animals will appear.
Incidentally, the husbandry form label should continue to be visible on meat packaging – despite the state label – as the responsible animal welfare initiative informed ZDF today. To this end, the label is to be further developed so that it is “compatible with state labeling.”
What else can I pay attention to if I want to pay attention to animal welfare?
For Constanze Rubach and Lars Schrader, one thing is clear: Basically, housing types 3 and 4 speak for more animal welfare – they just don’t guarantee it. That only does that organic seal“which then has significantly higher requirements,” says consumer advocate Rubach.
Animal welfare expert Lars Schrader also recommends that consumers look out for themselves when buying after animal husbandry and to inquire about animal welfare – For example at the service counter, where only information on the origin is mandatory; or even on site in the companies who have the opportunity to do so.