Animal welfare for all. And for everyone: An overview of all programs under the Animal Welfare Initiative

The Animal Welfare Initiative offers programs tailored to various levels of requirements to promote animal welfare at the farm level. Livestock producers who wish to improve animal welfare in their barns will find the right program for them here.

Expanding animal welfare on a broader scale with the core program “Initiative Tierwohl Stall plus Platz”

The program corresponds to Level 2 of the standardized system for labeling housing conditions. Participation is open to the following animal species: pigs, chickens, turkeys, cattle, and Peking ducks.

Raising the level of animal welfare with the programs “Initiative Tierwohl Frischluftstall” and “Initiative Tierwohl Auslauf”

The programs correspond to levels 3 and 4 of the system for standardized housing condition labeling. The two programs are initially aimed at pig, chicken, and turkey farmers. A corresponding program for cattle is currently being developed.

Information for turkey farmers

Information for pig fattener

Information for poultry farmers

Animal Welfare Programs with a System

“Initiative Tierwohl Frischluftstall” and “Initiative Tierwohl Auslauf” build on the requirements of the ITW “Stall plus Platz” program, but each includes additional, higher standards.

The new ITW “Frischluftstall” program therefore requires participation in, and compliance with all other requirements of, the Initiative Tierwohl “Stall plus Platz” such as participation in specific monitoring programs, continuing education initiatives, and species-specific requirements—including lighting schedules and footpad health for poultry, as well as pen design and roughage for pigs. In addition, there are further requirements, such as guidelines on outdoor environmental stimuli and increased space allocation.

The new ITW program “Auslauf” also requires compliance with all requirements of the “Initiative Tierwohl Stall plus Platz” program, but supplements them with additional requirements, such as increased space allocation and constant access to outdoor areas.

Thanks to this criteria-based system, the ITW programs build on one another. For livestock farmers, this offers the advantage of greater flexibility to switch between programs. Meanwhile, marketers can, if needed, sell products from a higher-level program within a lower-level ITW program without quantity restrictions.

Three ITW Programs for Different Requirement Levels

To participate in the Animal Welfare Initiative, livestock producers must implement a set of criteria that promote animal welfare. Clearly defined, concise requirements apply to all livestock producers. Only in this way can the Animal Welfare Initiative seal provide a consistent statement about how the animals are raised.

The product thus belongs to a defined supply chain. This means it can be traced back to the farm. For the Animal Welfare Initiative, this means that products can be labeled with a seal so that consumers can recognize meat from AWI-certified farms in stores.

Products originating from a farm with “Stall plus Platz” certification are marked with our seal. Consumers will likely be able to recognize products from “Frischluftstall” and “Auslauf” systems by a corresponding seal marking starting in mid-2026.