The Initiative Tierwohl offers pig fatteners three programmes with different levels of requirements. By participating in “Stall plus Platz,” you already meet criteria that exceed the legal standard. The requirements for the “Frischluftstall” and “Auslauf” programmes are higher and correspond to the specifications for classification in husbandry levels 3 and 4. Products originating from a company with “Stall plus Platz” certification are labelled with our Seal. Consumers will likely be able to recognize products from “Frischluftstall” and “Auslauf/Weide” farming by a corresponding seal marking from mid-2026.

Currently, products that may only originate from animals from a company involved in pig production at the pig production stage are also labelled with the Seal. This gap is now to be closed. The aim is that, from 2027, only products where the animals have been kept under ITW conditions from birth will be labelled with the ITW Seal.

All participating trading partners and restaurants pay a price surcharge for this pork to the suppliers. The suppliers then pass on the surcharge along the value chain to the livestock owners. A recommended price has been set for the Stall plus Platz programme. For pig farms that purchase ITW piglets, the recommended price is €7.50 per fattening pig, and for companies that do not purchase ITW piglets, the recommendation is €6.00 per fattening pig. No recommendations have been made for the Frischluftstall and Auslauf programmes.

Certification bodies coordinate the independent inspections at participating agricultural businesses. Together with their employees, they form an important link between the Initiative Tierwohl’s operating company and the participating agricultural businesses. They manage the inspection process and train the auditors who check and perform evaluations to determine whether the criteria are being implemented in accordance with the regulations.

Each participant is inspected at least twice a year. There are different types of audits, i.e., inspections on the farm. One of the audits, the so-called programme audit, is announced a maximum of 24 hours before the inspection and is very comprehensive. All documents are also checked here. In addition, there is the stock check. Here, only the criteria in the shed are examined, and it takes place completely unannounced. Furthermore, the farmer must have the climate in his barn and the drinking water checked externally by experts once a year. Only if the inspection is passed may the company continue to participate in the Initiative Tierwohl. If the farmer does not implement the animal welfare requirements properly, he is excluded from the Initiative Tierwohl and may have to pay a contractual penalty.

In the event of a knockout evaluation in criteria of a higher programme (Frischluftstall or Auslauf), the livestock owner is not necessarily immediately excluded from the ITW. Instead, they are downgraded to a lower ITW-level. The prerequisite is that compliance with the General requirements and the requirements of the lower programme are demonstrated in the audit. If there are suspected cases of a livestock owner not implementing the measures correctly, additional audits of special purpose will be carried out.