Vion’s cattle slaughterhouses in Buchloe and Waldkraiburg are the first to be certified, according to the criteria of German Animal Welfare Association (Deutscher Tierschutzbund), for dairy cows, in a move aimed to enhance further animal welfare in its livestock farming, according to the Dutch business.
The animal welfare label ‘Für Mehr Tierschutz’ identifies beef products that are based on animal welfare standards which exceed the legal requirements – implementing mandatory specifications for livestock farming, transport and slaughter of dairy cows, which are controlled and certified by independent certification bodies.
These include, among others, a transport time of a maximum of four hours, a stunning trap with a safe movement restriction of the head, and the collection of animal-related criteria at the slaughterhouse.
These results are regularly reported to the German Animal Welfare Association and the certified farmers.
Vion has already entered into numerous purchase agreements with farmers who are certified for dairy cattle, according to the criteria of the German Animal Welfare Association. In the last week, the first animals were slaughtered by these farms.
Vion recently had to suspend activities at its Leeuwarden abattoir over rejected carcase concerns. The business described the production halt as a “teething problem” and said it would make improvements and eradicate concerns.
Initial discussions for the marketing of beef featuring the ‘Für Mehr Tierschutz’ label have taken place.