French producer impressed by Wiesenhof-Privathof chickens

The recent launch of the new Wiesenhof-Privathof brand – offering a higher level of welfare for German consumers – was seen by Jacques Liaut, director general of the French chicken meat producer Fermiers du Sud-Ouest, during a visit to Bavaria.

The brand uses the slower growing breed, Cobb Sasso, developed for free range, organic and other higher welfare systems.

“Wiesenhof Privathof is the latest product from Germany’s leading poultry brand catering for consumers looking for chickens reared using alternative production methods,” said James Truscott, director of Cobb Germany. “The French visitors were impressed by this product.”

The Privathof concept has emerged from discussions between scientists from the Institute for Animal Welfare, Animal Husbandry and Animal Hygiene, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, and experts from the German Animal Welfare Federation (Deutscher Tierschutzbund).

The strict standards for the rearing Privathof chickens were set by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in the UK, the oldest and largest animal protection organization in the world.

“Privathof is setting a new standard in Germany just as the Freedom Food brand in England is very successful,“ added Truscott. It requires poultry to be grown more slowly, have more space and live in a more varied environment – as we saw during our visit.”

This visit was also attended by Louis Perrault, managing director of the French poultry breeding company Sasso, and Dr Josef Bachmeier of hatchery Brüterei Süd / Wiesenhof.