Agrargesellschaft Hermannsfeld: Thuringian Animal Welfare Prize for Cows!

Agrargesellschaft Hermannsfeld: Thuringian Animal Welfare Prize for Cows!

A reason to be happy for the Hermannsfeld agricultural society! She was awarded the Thuringian Animal Welfare Prize 2025. Last weekend, Social Affairs Minister Katharina Schenk presented the prize at a ceremony in Erfurt. This award is given to companies that put their hearts and hands into the welfare of animals. The agricultural society impresses not only with its keeping of 420 dairy cows and offspring, but also with its exemplary standards and its commitment to education.

The Agrargesellschaft Hermannsfeld focuses on sustainable animal husbandry and maintains a modern dairy barn that was put into operation about ten years ago. In order to continuously improve animal husbandry, a comprehensive change to the highest animal welfare standards took place in 2020, which catapulted the company into the premium level of animal welfare-certified companies of the German Animal Welfare Association in 2020. Measures such as targeted stock reduction have shown positive effects on milk production, fertility and animal health. In the open stable, each cow has plenty of space available, and the animals can move freely in an area of ​​up to 2,000 m².

Space and freedom for the cows

What makes keeping cows so special? When you come to Agrargesellschaft Hermannsfeld, you immediately notice the animals' spacious living situation: every cow has daily access to a year-round running yard where they can enjoy 4 m², and an extensive pasture area of ​​75 hectares is also available. Wider passages and exits make traffic in the stable easier so that the cows can move around easily. Here the animal is truly king.

This attitude is reflected not only in the well-being of the animals, but also in the respectful treatment of employees. The agricultural society is considered an exemplary employer where worries about recruiting young people are not an issue. But that's not all: the agricultural society also relies on education and offers a wide range of educational opportunities for children, young people and adults. As part of the “Green Classroom” in Meiningen, visitors are transparently introduced to agricultural contexts and topics such as milk production and food production.

Animal protection in a global context

A look at the standards in agriculture shows how important such initiatives are. Many European countries have stricter animal welfare regulations than the EU standards, which only provide a minimum. Countries such as Germany, Austria and Denmark have introduced significantly stricter regulations to promote the welfare of farm animals. The pain point in animal husbandry is often tethering, which is still widespread in Germany but is fortunately decreasing. In contrast, year-round tethering is already banned in countries like Austria and is viewed as outdated.

With its commitment, the Agrargesellschaft Hermannsfeld not only sets standards in animal protection, but also actively promotes awareness of agriculture and nutrition. What becomes clear here is that animal welfare is an issue that concerns us all, and agricultural societies take the welfare of their animals and educating society seriously.

Finally, the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district also congratulates on the award and recognizes the great contribution that companies like Agrargesellschaft Hermannsfeld make to animal welfare and society.

For more information about the awards ceremony and the Agricultural Society, visit reports from Rhoen Canal as well as the analysis of Farmer's newspaper and the background information about animal welfare standards in Europe agriculture.de.