The first chickens bearing the FairMast label from Brandenburg were presented at Berlin International Green Week.
Berlin, 23 January 2019. A large number of farmers in the German state of Brandenburg have started producing poultry under the more animal-friendly FairMast label, and the first FairMast chickens raised in the area are now available from German retailers throughout the country. The FairMast label, which was developed by Plukon Food Group in association with animal welfare groups, offers improved living conditions to animals and provides consumers with the opportunity to purchase chicken products from animals raised in a more animal-friendly environment at prices significantly below those of organic products.
Improved living conditions for animals
Hens raised under the FairMast label are guaranteed a much larger amount of space, a longer life and more animal-friendly housing facilities, which are equipped with straw bales, perches and pecking blocks. The breed in question is a slower-growing, highly resilient chicken breed. The chickens have a slaughter age of at least 56 days, which is approximately 60 per cent longer than conventionally raised animals. With the exception of organic poultry farming, this growth period was unique in Germany up to now.
FairMast products bear the label of the German Animal Welfare Federation, and the FairMast label meets the entry-level requirements for the Federation’s Für Mehr Tierschutz (‘Improved Animal Welfare’) animal welfare label. In terms of available space and the lifespan of the animals, the label even exceeds the requirements of the German Animal Welfare Federation. All farms raising chickens under the FairMast label in Germany were certified at the start of this year by independent certification bodies, based on the entry-level animal welfare criteria set by the Federation.
Image: Attendants at Berlin International Green Week are pleased with the launch of the FairMast label adopted by Brandenburg farmers, which will serve as a model for farmers nationwide. From left to right: Ulrike Rücker, Marketing Director of Plukon Food Group Germany; Bernhard Lammers, Managing Director of Plukon Food Group Germany; Jörg Vogelsänger, agriculture minister for the state of Brandenburg; Detlef Brauer, FairMast farmer and manager of the Golzow Betriebs-GmbH farm; and Christoph Schulz, manager of a family farm in Atterwasch, Brandenburg (which also raises chickens under the FairMast label). Also pictured: Thomas Schröder, President of the German Animal Welfare Federation; and Professor Horst Lang, Quality Assurance, Environment and Employment Security Director at retail chain Globus SB-Warenhaus Holding GmbH & Co KG, which has already added the FairMast chicken to its list range.
Copyright: Plukon Food Group. Photo credit: Gerd Metzner