Rewe: New Guideline for Broiler Chickens

The Rewe Group recently published¹ an updated guideline on the farming of chickens raised for meat, so-called broiler chickens.

Rewe had already set itself the target of selling fresh meat only of level 3 or higher of the German husbandry type label »Haltungsform« by 2030. Now, further criteria designed to ensure more comprehensive animal welfare have been added.

Enhanced criteria for better animal welfare

Rewe’s new guideline, which relates to fresh meat and is to be implemented in full by 2030, includes the following further-reaching measures:

• Haltungsform 3: This remains the basis and includes a maximum stocking density of 29 kg/m², permanent access to free-range areas, the provision of manipulable material, animal health monitoring and regular audits.
• Further development of Haltungsform 3: Rewe will accept only improvements (and no regressive steps).
• ECC/RSPCA-certified breeds only: In the future, Rewe will use only chicken breeds that are approved under the European Chicken Commitment (ECC) or by the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). These breeds are known for their robustness and better state of health under the required husbandry conditions.
• No water bath stunning: Rewe stopped selling chickens that suffered the controversial practice of electric water bath stunning some time ago.
• Creation of a roadmap: To ensure that these measures are actually put into practice, a detailed roadmap is being created that continuously monitors progress and makes it transparent.

An industry in flux

Rewe is not the only retailer taking steps to improve animal welfare, because Aldi Nord and Süd have also already introduced very similar guidelines. Although the Schwarz Group (Lidl, Kaufland) and the Edeka Group have also committed in principle to Haltungsform 3 as an entry level, the fact that they are making their ability to implement this transition dependent on availability shows a distinct lack of initiative in this matter. On top of that, the two retail groups have still to introduce the kind of further-reaching criteria that Aldi and Rewe are planning to implement.

We hope that the Schwarz Group and the Edeka Group will eventually raise the ante and do their bit to advance improvements in broiler chicken farming.