Together against Tönnies: under this motto, a good 200 participants demonstrated in Kellinghusen on June 15. Tönnies operates the largest pig slaughterhouse in northern Germany here. 5,000 pigs are slaughtered here every day!
On April 29, 2024, we demonstrated against the Tönnies takeover of the Altenburg slaughterhouse. We called for the Tönnies Group to be stopped and for a socially just agricultural transition to plant-based farming to be initiated. Around a dozen activists responded to our call.
On March 20, the Bamberg City Council decided in favor of shutting down the abbatoir at a meeting. The slaughterhouse will be closed as soon as possible! Gemeinsam gegen die Tierindustrie organized a demonstration in front of the city council’s meeting venue for the decisive city council meeting.
On February 15, 2024, we kicked off our protests against Tönnies with a go-in in the administration building, a huge banner drop and other creative actions in the soccer stadium and on the executive floor at the headquarters in Rheda-Wiedenbrück. Tönnies is Germany’s largest meat company and profits from exploitation, environmental destruction and neocolonial injustice.
On Saturday, September 30, 2023, our Hamburg regional group organized an information and action bike tour through the Port of Hamburg. Hamburg is still a transshipment point for imported soy from the Global South and home to major companies in the agricultural and animal feed industry.
EuroTier is the world’s largest animal industry trade fair – with more than 100,000 visitors! The trade fair describes itself as “the leading global trade fair for animal husbandry”.
It took place again in Hanover from November 15-18, 2022, as it does every two years. Everyone who is anyone exhibited the latest trends for the further intensification of the animal industry. Including large meat companies such as Tönnies and Vion as well as the animal feed giant Agravis.
We were there and didn’t let the trade fair go unchallenged!
On September 26, 2022, we blockaded the Tönnies slaughterhouse in Badbergen for over 13 hours. We blocked all three access roads, some climbed onto the roof of an incoming truck and a huge banner was stretched from the roof.
The action took place during our action camp, which was held from September 23 to 27 in the middle of the hotspot of the German meat industry. Among other things, a dairy was blocked, a banner was dropped at a feed port of the largest soy importer and a colorful demonstration took place in Vechta.
In spring and summer, Gemeinsam gegen die Tierindustrie held a 4-part series of lectures in Berlin on the meat industry, its system of exploitation and destruction and the prospects for an exit. The speakers in the lecture series provided insights into the various crises associated with the meat companies and the entire animal industry and discussed pressing issues and controversial viewpoints with the audience.
On July 15, 2021, 200 activists blockaded the headquarters of Germany’s largest poultry slaughterhouse PHW for 10 hours. PHW owns the brands “Wiesenhof” and “Bruzzzler”, among others.
From 12 to 17 July 2021, we also organized an action camp nearby, in Goldenstedt near Vechta. This camp was a place for networking, exchange and debate on the topics of agriculture, animal husbandry, capitalism and the working conditions of slaughterhouse employees.
On May 29, 2021, we demonstrated together with many other groups and initiatives in Bad Bramstedt near Hamburg against the Vion slaughterhouse located there. Up to 3,200 cattle are slaughtered here every week. Around 150 demonstrators marched loudly and resolutely through the center of Bad Bramstedt and in front of the company’s gates, demanding the closure of the slaughterhouse.
On May 27, 2021, we blockaded the Plukon chicken slaughter factory in Gudensberg near Kassel! Plukon is the second largest chicken meat producer in the EU, slaughtering a good 28 million animals a year in Gudensberg.
At the time of the action, there was an acute corona hotspot in direct connection with the slaughterhouse – with the blockade we demanded the immediate closure of the plant to protect workers from corona infections.
On March 5, 2021, we presented our study “Billions for the animal industry” at a campaign in front of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) in Berlin.
In a performance, activists made it clear that the 13.2 billion euros in annual subsidies are also used to finance devastating effects. Right in front of the BMEL balcony, climbers from Robin Wood stretched a banner with the slogan “Exit instead of restructuring”.
Over 50 activists blockaded the Tönnies slaughterhouse in Kellinghusen, Schleswig-Holstein, on November 2, 2020. The Tönnies slaughterhouse in Kellinghusen stood still from 4:30 am. Five activists had chained themselves to the loading ramp and the gate and another group formed a sit-in blockade on the access road. A banner was lowered from the roof of the slaughterhouse.
On September 11, 2020, we took part in the day of action against Tönnies in Düsseldorf. Together with the organization aktion ./. arbeitsunrecht and several other groups from the labour rights, climate and environmental movements, we called for the demonstration “Stop the Tönnies system! Against the exploitation of people, animals and the environment”. A press conference was held on the morning of the same day.
250 people responded to our call to protest against the Tönnies Group’s claims for damages against activists on August 29, 2020: 30 animal rights and climate activists from the “Tear Down Tönnies” action group blocked the slaughterhouse for several hours in October 2019.
On July 31, 2020, activists protested against the Plukon slaughterhouse in Gudensberg by hanging up more than 30 signs. With the action, we demanded a stop to the slaughterhouse in view of the recurring corona infections in slaughterhouses.
30 activists occupied the roof of the controversial Tönnies slaughterhouse in Rheda-Wiedenbrück and its main access road from the early hours of July 4, 2020. A banner with the slogan “Shut down Tierindustrie” was lowered from the roof.
In mid-June, it became known that more than 1,500 employees had been infected with coronavirus. With this action, we called for the permanent closure of the slaughterhouse to protect workers and local residents from coronavirus, protect the climate and end the exploitation of animals.
Under the motto “Solidarity with workers in the animal industry”, we called for nationwide days of action from May 28 to 31, 2020. In the weeks before, slaughterhouses across Germany had proven to be coronavirus infection hotspots.
Rallies were held at the gates of four slaughterhouses in Bavaria and Brandenburg, as well as seven vigils and larger gatherings in central squares. In addition, several groups have carried out direct and creative actions.
