GRI FP10

Animal Welfare

Brief Overview:

The REWE Group aims to foster animal welfare in its supply chains and to promote such at the holiday destinations of DER Touristik. The company

commits to comply with and improve animal welfare standards and to increase animal welfare in animal husbandry;
has realigned its animal welfare strategy for REWE and PENNY in Germany in 2020, which is based on the three principles “abolish”, “adapt” and “expand”; For example, any lack of usability or transport routes within the supply chain should be abolished and the conditions under which animals are kept should be adapted to their needs;
defines explicit minimum requirements for suppliers, works together with standards and industry initiatives for the promotion of animal welfare on a broad basis and drives forward the transformation in this industry through innovative solutions.

The animal welfare topic plays a special role in the area of action Animal of the Green Products pillar.

GRI FP10: Physical change on animals

Management Approach

Effect

The keeping and use of animals plays an important role in both food retailing and travel and tourism. Animal products such as meat, milk and eggs are a firmly established part of present-day dietary habits - livestock farming is an essential part of agricultural production. In many holiday destinations interaction with animals is part of the local entertainment. The REWE Group is aware that animals may suffer due to poor and inappropriate husbandryand living conditions - and the production of animal products can have an impact on people and environment. Livestock farming contributes to emission of harmful greenhouse gases, rainforest destruction through cultivation of soy as animal feed and water pollution through use of pesticides. Animals can suffer from stress, show altered social conduct through cramped conditions or develop illnesses from lack of exercise. The REWE Group already addresses many of these effects, for instance in its Guideline on Soy in Animal Feed. As organic farming has set its own sustainability standards for environmentally sound and animal-friendly business practices, it is likewise part of the corporate strategy (see also Guideline on Organic Products). With the realignment of the animal welfare strategy 2020 (see section Strategic Approach) REWE and PENNY in Germany aim to establish improved animal welfare in the supply chains, by gradually adapting the conditions under which animals are kept to their needs. Because more sustainable livestock farming has positive impacts on people and the environment. That the public has become more aware of the living conditions of farm animals is not only a challenge but can also be an opportunity for the company – in that it supports the dynamically growing trend for vegan nutrition with its private labels “REWE Bio + vegan” and “Food for future” and through its involvement in regional animal welfare programmes that transform the industry (see Regional programmes).

With the realignment of the animal welfare strategy 2020, REWE and PENNY in Germany aim to establish improved animal welfare in the supply chains, by gradually adapting the conditions under which animals are kept to their needs.

Principles

In its Guideline on Sustainable Business Practices, the REWE Group commits to comply with and improve animal welfare standards and to increase animal welfare in animal husbandry. In order to meet this obligation, REWE and PENNY in Germany published its updated Guideline on Animal Welfare in 2022. It documents the attitude of the companies on the animal welfare topic for the private labels. The guideline defines an overarching strategy to be implemented through goals, actions and requirements. The focus is on animal welfare – and highlights the different challenges that require to be harmonised in the realms of animal husbandryfrom rearing through to consumption by the customer. Moreover, the guideline defines a binding framework for both units and the business relationships with its contractual partners. In 2016, the REWE Group published its own Guideline on Animal Welfare in Austria that presents the essential measures and areas of action for Austria. It applies to the sales lines BILLA, BILLA PLUS, ADEG, PENNY and BIPA. Animal welfare also plays an important role in the Travel and Tourism segment of the REWE Group. Experiencing wild animals like elephants, dolphins or whales in their natural environment is a special experience for tourists where the least possible intervention is made into the habitat and behaviour of the animals. Therefore, DER Touristik pushes forward travel offers where the animal kingdom can be experienced in a responsible way through its tour operator brands. For the tourism company, animal welfare has the highest priority – in the animals’ natural environment but also where they are more closely involved with people. With this in mind, DER Touristik has drawn up a binding Animal Welfare Guideline. It includes a comprehensive group strategy and an action plan with measures.

Strategic Approach

The realignment of the animal welfare strategy 2020 for REWE and PENNY in Germany is based on the three principles “abolish”, “adapt” and “expand”. For example, any lack of usability or transport routes within the supply chains should be abolished and the conditions under which animals are kept should be adapted to their needs — with more space and more time outdoors, more activity and fewer interventions. Regional animal welfare programmes and production structures should also be expanded.

In their animal welfare strategy, REWE and PENNY in Germany followed a four-step process in close coordination with suppliers analogous to the Approach for More Sustainable Supply Chains: Hotspot and risk analysis, derivation of emphases and objectives, implementation through actions and requirements, monitoring and reporting:

Hotspot and risk analysis: In a comprehensive analysis external as well as internal factors and the hotspots – that is to say, the material social and ecological challenges – were investigated. These were supplemented by stakeholder surveys, trend evaluations and a consideration of the current political situation. Experts, too, were consulted and the range of private label products analysed.
Derivation of focus topics and objectives: Based on the analysis, six focus species (chicken, turkey, pork, beef, dairy cows and laying hens) and eight focus product groups (poultry, pork and beef, sausage, cheese, milk, dairy products and eggs) were identified as being of material importance through which both units can achieve the maximum possible effect in matters relating to animal welfare. For the purpose of achieving the strategic animal welfare goal, contents topics with particular emphasis were defined, among them husbandry methods appropriate to the species, origins and the value attaching to life. Subsequently, sub-targets for the private label range were set (see section Targets and KPIs). REWE and PENNY in Germany focus in particular on improving husbandry conditions and will gradually switch fresh meat and drinking milk products to husbandry system standards 3 and 4 by 2030 (see section husbandry system standards – labelling for transparency).
Implementation through actions and requirements: The strategic approach for more animal welfare is implemented on three levels, see section Implementation.
Monitoring and reporting: The activities carried out are monitored and evaluated. The findings of the monitoring are incorporated into the further development of the measures.

REWE and PENNY in Germany focus in particular on improving husbandry conditions – they will gradually switch to higher husbandry system standards 3 and 4 by 2030.

The approach of DER Touristik also includes regular portfolio analyses that identify all attractions that keep animals in different contexts. This includes wild animals, animals in captivity and working animals.

Targets and KPIs

The REWE Group pursues the strategic target of establishing more animal welfare in the supply chains that comprise products of animal origin for private labels at REWE and PENNY in Germany, by 2030. For this purpose, the following sub-targets for the private label range were set.

In 2021 and 2022, data for some of these sub-targets was collected quantitatively for the first time. With regard to the target to achieve 100 per cent of the husbandry system standards 3 and 4 by the end of 2030 for fresh meat products including beef, pork and poultry, there was a minimal setback in the year under review. The reason was inflation including increasing prices and associated decreasing demand for organic products.

KPI	2020	2021	2022	Status
100 % eggs without chick culling for REWE’s private label products in Germany by the end of 2021	-	100 %	100 %
100 % organic fresh eggs of the “Spitz & Bube” brand at REWE in Germany by the end of 2020	100 %	100 %	100 %
100 % processed meat products¹ with at least husbandry system standard 2 by the end of 2025	-	-	49.0 %
100 % fresh meat products² (beef, pork and poultry) with at least husbandry system standard 2 by the end of 2025	-	67.6 %³	70.4 %
100 % fresh meat products² (beef, pork and poultry) with at least husbandry system standard 3 by the end of 2030	-	8.2 %³	7.7 %
100 % Drinking milk with at least husbandry system standard 2 by the end of 2025	-	-	15.2 %	-
100 % Drinking milk with at least husbandry system standard 3 by the end of 2030	-	-	15.2 %
100 % fresh milk from Austria and Germany by the end of 2021	-	100 %	100 %
Implementation in progress Target achieved Not available Target not achieved

Scope: The scope covers the private labels of the sales lines of REWE and PENNY in Germany, deviations are explicitly mentioned.

¹ Sausage (self-service & service counter), incl. canned, frozen and convenience products with a meat content of more than 50 per cent excl. foreign specialities.

² Self-service and service counter.

³ This data has been changed retrospectively for 2021. Until the reporting year, it was not possible to collect the values in kilograms; therefore, the unit values were recorded. For 2022, system and data availability were completed accordingly.

On the way to achieving the target it was found that major challenges can lie in external, uninfluenceable factors. For instance, crisis situations such as a pandemic, war or inflation as well as regulatory changes require a readjustment of internal processes.

Since 2021, BILLA offers exclusively fresh meat from Austria. In connection with this, some stricter animal welfare standards apply in comparison with other EU countries, such as in the case of turkeys.

DER Touristik pursues the target of protecting animals from exploitation and neglect. The aim is to align the entire product portfolio to established animal welfare standards and to check that providers comply with these standards. Target achievement was originally planned for 2023. However, it had to be postponed until 2024 due to the COVID-19 pandemic impacts on the travel industry.

Responsibility and Resources

Implementation of strategies and measures regarding animal welfare is the responsibility of dedicated teams and departments in the respective sales lines. For more information, please refer to Management Approach Green Products.

Implementation

The REWE Group’s strategy is implemented on three levels:

Definitions of clear minimum requirements for suppliers form the basis. These usually exceed statutory required standards. This list of requirements is continuously reassessed, adapted and advanced.
Furthermore, REWE Group promotes animal welfare overall by cooperating with standards and industry initiatives.
To drive forward the transformation in this sector, the REWE Group is continuously looking for innovative solutions which are piloted in “lighthouse projects”. Ideally these projects are successful enough to be gradually developed further in the long run. The REWE Group thus initiated the current standard “without chick culling” (see section Supply Chains Without Chick Culling).

The REWE Group in Austria is expanding its animal welfare strategy for the private label range at BILLA, BILLA PLUS, ADEG and PENNY to

comply with statutory requirements and guarantee them through independent monitors;
food of animal origin from local, regional production;
industry solutions that are drawn up together with representatives from agriculture, trade, politics and NGOs to achieve industry-wide accepted improvements, such as in the case of the implementation of GMO-free food in Austrian poultry;
combine-wide applicable guidelines as sustainable decision-making bases for purchasing and quality management, for example the Fresh Egg Combine Guideline, the Fish, Crabs and Mollusc Guideline and the Guidance on Wild Fish Purchasing;
the cooperation with recognised quality seals and certification systems that are awarded to products with added animal welfare value, such as the organic quality seal or labels like ASC (Aquaculture Stewardship Council) or MSC (Marine Stewardship Council), as well as participation in their further development. Essential criteria for selection are credibility, transparency and independent monitoring by third parties;
own quality programmes and lighthouse projects;
expansion of the offer in the organic range and further development of strict animal welfare criteria of the private label “Ja! Natürlich”.

DER Touristik discontinues offers that do not satisfy the requirements of the Combine animal welfare guidelines (see for example Ban on elephant riding). Attractions that entail increased animal welfare risks are inspected using audits in order to make adjustments to the portfolio and to ensure an improvement in standards together with service providers. Focal points in the programme to improve industry standards are elephants in captivity, marine mammals, working animals and stray animals. While measures for elephants have already been successfully implemented, the marine mammals focal point will be worked on in 2023.

Involvement of Stakeholders

Species-appropriate husbandry is becoming increasingly important to consumers and holidaymakers – stakeholders of the REWE Group also assess the topic as being particularly relevant to the company. The focus for them is on a wider range of animal products with high standard for husbandry conditions and animal welfare (see Materiality Analysis). Stakeholders are informed annually about the effectiveness of measures taken via the Sustainability Report and in various dialogue formats (see Stakeholder Dialogue). Furthermore, the REWE Group is also represented in committees, initiatives and working groups with content relevant to some of the stakeholders of the company. This exchange allows them to provide important input on the issue.

Consumers and other stakeholders can submit their grievances or comments on this issue. For this purpose, the REWE Group has established reporting and grievance mechanisms. For more information, please refer to the Compliance section.

Measures and Projects

Through its measures and projects, the REWE Group aims to actively contribute to an improvement of livestock husbandry. Their activities are presented below for the reporting year, sorted thematically according to the three implementation levels:

Explicit Minimum Requirements for Suppliers

Supply chains without chick culling Highlight

From 1 January 2022, the statutory requirements for supply chains without chick culling apply. With projects like “Spitz & Bube” at REWE and “Herzbube” at PENNY in Germany (raising of male chicks) or the respeggt free-range eggs (see section Gender determination inside the hatching eggs), the REWE Group has been doing pioneering work on this issue since 2016. Fresh eggs from the private label “ja!” from REWE have also been free from chick culling since 2021. Furthermore, Lekkerland also only sells eggs without chick culling through its private label “mybasics”. The company has thus sold over a billion eggs without chick culling. The commitment is gradually being extended to products that contain eggs, for example, to the Ja! REWE private label egg spätzle or egg Schupfnudeln.

Ban on eggs from cage-rearing

The REWE Group does not consider the husbandry conditions of cage-reared laying hens to be acceptable. The REWE Group has only marketed private label barn and free-range eggs that satisfy the requirements of the "Verein für kontrollierte alternative Tierhaltungsformen e. V. (KAT)" (Association for Controlled Alternative Animal Husbandry) through REWE and PENNY in Germany since 2010. In 2012, the REWE Group stopped using eggs from cage-rearing or from rearing in small groups for the production of processed products. Trade in cage-reared eggs is supposed to stop in all foreign subsidiaries by 2025 at the latest. For example, at the REWE Group in Austria only barn and free-range eggs and egg products have been allowed to be used for manufacturing products for private and exclusive labels since 2013. This must be correspondingly certified or clearly proven.

CO₂ anaesthesia for poultry

In the case of poultry, stunning the animals with carbon dioxide before slaughter is considered to be a stress-free alternative. The requirement for CO₂ anaesthesia for poultry (chickens & turkeys) is implemented at more than 90 per cent at the REWE Group for the private labels of REWE and PENNY in Germany. The REWE Group’s PRO PLANET label marks fresh poultry meat from animals that have been anaesthetised by CO₂.

Rabbit meat from improved animal husbandry

The REWE Group exclusively sells rabbit meat from barn-reared animals, which provides significantly more space and manipulable materials than in cage-rearing, at REWE and PENNY in Germany. We were able to achieve this goal in cooperation with the animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS.

Refrain from goose and duck meat originating from production sites with live-plucking and force-feeding

For its private labels of REWE and PENNY in Germany, the REWE Group foregoes the trade with goose and duck meat originating from production sites with live-plucking and force-feeding. Our purchase team refers to the “Positive list of geese producers” of the animal welfare organisation VIER PFOTEN (FOUR PAWS). Moreover, REWE Group does not sell foie gras products.

No pigs castrated without anaesthetic

Years ago, the REWE Group formulated the target for its private labels at REWE and PENNY in Germany of only selling fresh pork from pigs not castrated without anaesthesia. In order to achieve this goal, the company has accepted all alternative methods as permitted by legal standards for its private labels at REWE and PENNY in Germany, since 2015. These methods include boar fattening without castration, boar fattening with vaccination (i.e. immunocastration) and castration under general anaesthesia. Castration without anaesthesia has been prohibited in Germany since 2021.

Husbandry requirements for buffalos

For the production of buffalo mozzarella a cow must give birth to one calf each year. Approx. half of the calves are male. Because they do not produce any milk and their meat is unpopular with consumers, there is little interest in rearing them. Sufficient food and space are not made available to the animals. To counteract such animal welfare violations, the Sustainable Goods Department, together with VIER PFOTEN (FOUR PAWS), has drawn up a criteria paper on buffalo husbandry for the private labels of REWE and PENNY in Germany. It contractually agrees adherence to minimum requirements for buffalo husbandry with suppliers. These provisions exceed the statutory requirements by stipulating the access to mud baths and water spray systems, for example.

No use of apes in coconut harvesting

The general quality requirements for quality assurance of the REWE Group state that no animals may be used in the harvesting of coconuts for food private label products of REWE and PENNY in Germany. This requirement applies, in particular, to coconut milk private label products of REWE that originate from Thailand. From 2023, the requirement is supposed to be extended to brand suppliers. From this time, private label coconut milk will also no longer be obtained from Thailand. The general quality requirements form the basis for all supplier agreements with sales lines and are binding.

Ban on elephant riding Highlight

Elephant riding in holiday regions such as Thailand, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Laos and Africa is offered as a tourist attraction. The animals are often helplessly at the mercy of a life full of deprivation and mistreatment. At DER Touristik, elephant riding and elephant shows have been completely removed from organiser’s programmes, as they do not correspond to the minimum requirements of the travel group’s animal welfare guideline. At the same time, DER Touristik, together with other members of the industry, has supported an elephant camp in Thailand in changing its concept to a free-roaming camp: This means that elephants can be observed in their natural environment from a safe distance.

Collaboration with Standards and Industry Initiatives to Promote Animal Welfare Overall

Animal welfare initiative Highlight

As a founding member of the Animal Welfare Initiative (ITW), the REWE Group has been committed to increasing animal welfare standards throughout the industry since 2015. The partners in the initiative from agriculture, the meat industry, the food retail sector and gastronomy are committed to their shared responsibility for animal husbandry, animal health and animal welfare in livestock farming. ITW supports farmers with implementing measures that benefit farm animals and go beyond legal standards.

Every year, 753 million pigs, chickens and turkeys benefit from improved husbandry conditions as a result of participation of more than 12,300 farms (as of end of April 2023). All farms in the ITW are inspected every year with a regular audit and an unannounced audit. Farms that violate the guidelines of the ITW are consistently sanctioned.

ITW Pork & Poultry is currently in its third programme phase (2021–2023). ITW partners from agriculture, the meat industry, food retail and gastronomy intend to keep developing animal welfare using measures (e.g. by providing more space and manipulable materials) and to remunerate it along the value chain, right up to the farmer. At ITW Pork, the intention is to stand by continued identification in piglet production.

During the reporting period, ITW was also extended to beef (the programme phase began on 1 April 2022) and involvement of pet food was prepared for, which should enable labelling of pet foods with ITW products from mid 2023.

Husbandry method – labelling for transparency Highlight

The retailers in the Animal Welfare Initiative agreed on standardised labelling across the industry – the Haltungsform (husbandry method, HF) – following a flood of different quality seals in April 2019. The label creates transparency for consumers and contributes to a conscious purchase decision because it involves guidelines on activities, feeding, animal health monitoring and audit frequency, in addition to criteria on husbandry and space. This promotes animal welfare on a large scale.

Husbandry system standards

Stage 1: Indoor enclosure
This husbandry method meets the legal minimum requirements or complies with the QA or an equivalent standard.
Stage 2: Indoor enclosure Plus
The husbandry conditions meet higher animal welfare standards, e.g. at least ten per cent more space indoors than prescribed by law and provision of additional manipulable materials. The stables of the ducks must have daylight from this level and the cows must not be tethered. The criteria of Stage 2 correspond to the requirements of the Animal Welfare Initiative.
Stage 3: Outdoor climate
This husbandry method means that the animals have contact with fresh air, for example through a side of the stable that is open to the outside or in a covered outdoor area next to the stable. Furthermore, the animals have more space - apart from ducks - in the stable (e.g. pigs 40 per cent and turkeys 30 per cent more space). In addition, GMO-free animal feed is required.
Stage 4: Premium
The animals have free-range access and – apart from ducks – the largest space in the stable (e.g. pigs 100 per cent and turkeys 60 per cent more space). Here, animal feed is likewise GMO-free. Organic meat is classified in this stage.

The labelling is available for meat products originating from chicken, turkey, pork, beef, dairy cow, duck and rabbit. REWE and PENNY in Germany have gradually introduced husbandry system standards to milk and dairy products since early 2022.

Animal welfare in the dairy sector

QM-Milch e. V. is the sponsor of the QM Milk programme with the certification levels QM Standard, QM+ and QM++ and stands for quality-oriented and animal-friendly milk production. 90 per cent of German milk producers have already been certified with the QM Standard (HF 1). Since 2022, the QM Milk programme has been supplemented by two additional modules QM+ (HF 2) and QM++ (HF 3). Higher animal welfare criteria are compulsory in these additional modules. For instance, with QM+ the animals are provided with more space, more time outdoors and manipulable material. In QM++ there are additional mandatory criteria, among others for keeping under outdoor climate conditions.

This expansion to higher levels of animal welfare supports the industry-wide objective of moving to higher levels of husbandry for milk and dairy products as well as supporting the phase-out of tethering in dairy production.

Strengthening the Better Chicken Commitment

Since March 2022, the REWE Group has been committed to increasing animal welfare standards also in cooperation with the Albert Schweitzer Foundation with regard to the Better Chicken Commitment. The common objective is to establish higher minimum standards on the European poultry market. For this reason, even without joining the initiative, the REWE Group is committed both to a concrete action plan and to pushing for the demands of the Better Chicken Commitment to be implemented in the Animal Welfare Initiative. The company intends to use its influence and actively promote this in the industry. Furthermore, the REWE Group is also committed to the long-term and sustainable strengthening of domestic agriculture within the framework of this agreement.

Regional programmes

Through various regional programmes, REWE and PENNY in Germany aim to promote and maintain regional structures and improve animal welfare through short transport routes and enhanced husbandry systems. The central part is a partnership-based and fair cooperation and close exchange with farmers. Against this background, REWE is currently implementing 19 regional programmes with added animal welfare in the husbandry system standards 3 and 4 for pork, beef, chick, turkey and duck.

For example, the sales line REWE in Germany offers meat products from pigs in North Rhine-Westphalia that are mainly kept on straw under the brand “Strohwohl”. Breeding and fattening are done on modern family farms according to the latest standards. The animals have twice as much space as prescribed by law and are fed GMO-free feed. Reserve antibiotics are not used. The brand “FairMast” offers meat products from German chickens that are kept in animal-friendly enclosures according to the standards of the Better Chicken Commitment. Furthermore, the meat has the label “Für Mehr Tierschutz” of the "Deutsche Tierschutzbund" (German Animal Welfare Association) with additional requirements, such as more manipulable materials and space that go beyond the Better Chicken Commitment.

Standards for improved animal welfare

The REWE Group in Austria identifies meat and dairy products, as well as eggs, from private labels that come from conventional animal husbandry, but where production exceeds legal requirements for animal welfare, with the label “Fair zum Tier”. These requirements concern husbandry, transport and slaughter. In pork farming, for example, converted and new stalls are used, since the guidelines prescribe more space and access to the outdoors and prohibition of slatted flooring. Compliance with standards is monitored annually.

Labelling makes it easier for customers to recognise products from species-appropriate and conventional husbandry when making purchases. Furthermore, this programme is intended to promote animal welfare and improve conventional animal husbandry in Austria. To guarantee the high quality of the products, independent monitoring is conducted along the entire value chain.

Together with experts and industry stakeholders, DER Touristik is continually working on improving standards for animal welfare in tourism, raising awareness of the issue among local providers and supporting them in making their facilities more animal friendly. The focus is on species that are particularly affected by tourist activities. When drawing up the requirements, DER Touristik was guided by the Animal Welfare Guidelines of British travel association ABTA, as well as the internationally recognised “Five Freedoms” from promoting animal welfare. These are adequate food, species-appropriate husbandry, health, enough space and species-appropriate behaviour. Animal welfare requirements include, for example:

Criteria according to which animal observations take place or animals are kept
Avoidance of direct contact between certain species, such as elephants and dolphins, with humans
That no exhibitions of animals showing unnatural behaviours and no animal fighting or hunting is shown

Certain attractions are inspected in external audits to check whether requirements are being adhered to. To support providers in improving standards for animals, employees of DER Touristik, especially those in the globally active destination agencies, are given training on this topic.

Further projects in this area:

"Verbraucher-Milch" (Consumer Milk): “Du bist hier der Chef“ (You‘re the boss here) (see Sustainability report 2021, page 164)
Species-appropriate husbandry of quail: “free to fly” (see Sustainability report 2021, page 164)

Transformation of the industry through innovative solutions

Vegan and hybrid product ranges Highlight

The REWE Group accompanies the continuously growing trend of vegan nutrition: In 2020, PENNY became Germany’s first discount store selling “Food for Future” – and was accoladed as the “Best Private Label” by the PETA Food Award in the same year. Since 2021, REWE’s range comprises “REWE organic + vegan” and all products are additionally certified according to organic standards. In the same year, the sales line was also accoladed as the “Vegan-friendliest Store” by PETA Food Award. For further information, please refer to Climate Protection in the Supply Chain. The product range of the business units BILLA and BILLA PLUS of the REWE Group in Austria have comprised the vegan Vegavita private label as early as 2002. In September 2022, BILLA opened with Billa Pflanzilla the first vegan Concept Store in Austria where the Vegavita range and further vegan brands are offered (for further information, please refer to Promoting Sustainable Consumption).

Gender determination inside hatching eggs

With the SELEGGT method, the chick culling of male chicks after hatching can be dispensed with in laying hen breeding. The gender of the chick in the hatching egg is determined with the help of hormone-based gender determination via a marker, in which the interior of the hatching egg remains intact: Only the female hatching eggs are further incubated and later lay the so-called respeggt eggs "without chick culling" as laying hens - a supply chain verification guarantees this added value. The male hatching eggs are processed into high-quality feed.

Promotion of an alternative turkey breed

Conventional turkey breeds are only conditionally suitable for organic poultry fattening. Their rapid growth can result in health problems. Therefore, REWE Bio has bred a new, robust and vital breed with Biofino GmbH, suitable for free-range husbandry and organic feed. During rearing, each animal has around twelve square metres of outdoor space in the stable, in the outdoor area and in the covered area. A longer period of growth is consciously accepted. In 2022, 50 per cent of the organic fresh turkey meat of REWE‘s and PENNY‘s private labels in Germany came from Biofino GmbH and thus from these turkeys (2021: 50 per cent). REWE is pursuing the goal of completely converting the organic fresh turkey meat of the REWE Bio private label to the new turkey breed.