REWE, Tönnies Lebensmittel and farmers from Schleswig-Holstein signed a three-party contract for fresh meat at the Green Week in Berlin on 20 January. The special thing about it: Unlike in the past, all partners, including farmers, are sitting at the same table and negotiating conditions and modalities on an equal footing. Back in October 2024, REWE Group, Penny, "Die faire Milch" and the "Fair Food" producers' cooperative presented the first nationwide three-party contract of this kind in the German food retail sector to the public.
With this trend-setting contract, REWE is once again making a clear commitment to local agriculture. The result is a joint, closed supply chain from farm to market. The partners are thus launching the "Landbauern Schwein" programme for the service counters of REWE stores in Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg on an equal footing. The three-party contract provides more transparency and planning security for the entire supply chain with clear parameters for calculation and pricing in compliance with legal limits. The products from the programme will be available in all REWE stores in Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg from summer 2025.
„As REWE Group, we have been clearly committed to local agriculture for years, and long-term cooperation based on partnership is important to us.“Marcel Weber, Head of National and International Own Brand Merchandise at REWE Group "As REWE Group, we have been clearly committed to domestic agriculture for years, and long-term cooperation based on partnership is important to us. Tripartite contracts can be a suitable instrument for more openness and transparency in the supply chain. We are therefore very pleased to be able to expand this pioneering cooperation between agriculture, processing and retail today - because the common challenges remain great," says Marcel Weber, Head of National and International Merchandise Store Brands at REWE Group.
© Copyright: REWE GROUP | Stefan Zeitz
"We want more appreciation for agriculture and the good products from our regions. The tripartite agreement is an important milestone. It creates transparency, planning security and reliability for everyone involved. The binding co-operation shows: Retailers, abattoirs and farmers are pulling together. This is encouraging and stands for quality in both senses of the word," adds Maximilian Tönnies, shareholder of Premium Food Group ApS & Co KG.
"For us, the tripartite agreement is a huge step forward and a clear commitment to the financial security of high-quality meat products from Schleswig-Holstein. In addition, we expressly welcome the fact that all partners are making a joint, binding and transparent commitment to animal welfare," say Lars Brunk and Hauke Klindt, who are participating in the programme alongside other farmers.
