Tönnies is committed to animal welfare
Jörg Altemeier is currently a sought-after man. The head of the animal welfare department at Tönnies in Rheda-Wiedenbrück has been a speaker at several well-known specialist events in recent weeks. And not only in Germany, but also in Budapest and the Netherlands. There he spoke, among other things, about the latest findings in animal welfare and African swine fever (ASF).
At the end of April, Jörg Altemeier was a guest at the Central German Pig Forum in Leipzig, where he gave a lecture on the topic of ASF from the perspective of a slaughterhouse and cutting plant. “The ultimate goal must be that ASF does not get into the domestic pig population any further. More than ever, agriculture must therefore adhere to the principles of biosecurity,” emphasized the Tönnies expert.
The following panel discussion also dealt with export restrictions due to ASF - and the prospects for the industry. “Exports are important to us. We don't export whole animals to China, for example, but the parts that nobody eats here: paws, snouts, tails. They are delicacies there,” said Jörg Altemeier. This is the only way to achieve holistic utilization of the animals and thus holistic value creation.
The well-known symposium on pig health management (ESPHM) in Budapest in mid-May was also about ASF. There Jörg Altemeier was on stage as a keynote speaker in front of 1.500 international experts. In addition to the topic of biosecurity as a preventive measure against African swine fever, he focused on the future prospects of the industry. It was also about the group's own laboratory, which took and examined tens of thousands of samples from the delivered animals in the past month alone. "This is only available to this extent in Germany," explained the animal welfare expert from the Rheda-Wiedenbrücker food company.
Jörg Altemeier was particularly pleased about the invitation from the animal protection organization "Eyes on Animals" to the conference in Zandvoort in the Netherlands. Incidentally, Prof. Dr. Temple Grandin, one of the most renowned animal welfare researchers in the world. In his lecture, Jörg Altemeier presented the diverse and extensive animal protection measures during unloading and stabling at the Tönnies locations. Each animal is examined carefully during unloading by trained staff and also by official veterinarians from the veterinary authorities. The pigs also rest for two hours after arrival, with relaxing music on their ears, a water sprinkler from above and activity material. In addition, the barn was built with a slight incline of 3 percent. "Because the pigs prefer to run uphill than downhill," as Jörg Altemeier emphasizes.
The company has established numerous animal protection measures, some of which far exceed the legal standard. “For ethical reasons, this is a matter of course for us. We would also shoot ourselves in the foot if we didn't pay attention. Because the meat quality suffers from stress and panic,” says the Tönnies animal welfare expert. To ensure that all measures are always complied with, there is a mobile audit application in addition to the official controls, with which the company puts itself to the test every day. Around 200 experts from Germany and the EU followed the explanations spellbound. "The questions and the response after the presentation were consistently positive."
Some of the group's animal protection measures have already been adopted as recommendations for other companies. “We have come a long way in animal protection and are doing a lot to ensure that it becomes even more. Many people are certainly not aware of this,” says the expert. That is why it is all the more important to keep entering into dialogue, to exchange ideas and to be open and transparent. "We are happy to deal with any criticism and I offer anyone who has concerns or doubts about our animal welfare measures to visit our locations and take a look at everything." Jörg Altemeier promoted this at the three events. And he will also promote this in July in Leipzig, for example, when he appears again as a speaker at the German Veterinary Congress.
