PROVIEH

PROVIEH e. V. is a German registered association (eingetragener Verein) headquartered in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, dedicated to the welfare of so-called "Nutztiere" — farm animals raised for food production. According to its own statements and German Wikipedia, it is the oldest and largest animal-welfare association in Germany focused on species-appropriate farm-animal husbandry, and it campaigns against industrial intensive livestock farming. The organisation was founded on 15 June 1973 in Heikendorf by the sisters Margarete Bartling, a former senior agricultural councillor in the Schleswig-Holstein agriculture ministry, and Olga Bartling, then head of the Heikendorf adult education centre. It was originally named Verein gegen tierquälerische Massentierhaltung (VgtM) e. V. — the Association against Cruel Mass Animal Husbandry. PROVIEH describes itself as working scientifically and factually, and its central premise is that farm animals are intelligent, sentient beings with species-specific needs and behaviours, rather than mere production units. Its work spans consumer education, protest letters, petitions, expert statements and proposed amendments to guidelines and laws. From the beginning, species-appropriate poultry housing was a core theme; the association initiated petitions and expert reports that contributed to the eventual ban on battery cages for laying hens in Germany. It positions itself as an interface between consumers, food retail, politics and farmers, and explicitly unites people who eat vegan or vegetarian with people who eat meat. The association is politically and denominationally independent. It is financed through membership fees, donations and legacies, and has belonged to the German Donations Council (Deutscher Spendenrat) since 1999. Its federal office is located at Küterstraße 7-9 in Kiel. The board works on an honorary basis. In 2016 PROVIEH received the right of association action (Verbandsklagerecht), allowing it to have animal-welfare-relevant administrative decisions reviewed by courts. In 2017 the association dropped its original name and became PROVIEH e. V.; it celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023. Its current public campaigns include a major animal-welfare demonstration planned for 10 October 2026 at Bebelplatz in Berlin, calling for the abolition of tethering (Anbindehaltung).

PROVIEH was founded on 15 June 1973 in Heikendorf, Schleswig-Holstein, by the sisters Margarete Bartling and Olga Bartling, under the name Verein gegen tierquälerische Massentierhaltung (VgtM) e. V. — the Association against Cruel Mass Animal Husbandry. Margarete Bartling was a former senior agricultural councillor (Oberlandwirtschaftsrätin) in the Schleswig-Holstein agriculture ministry, and Olga Bartling was then head of the Heikendorf adult education centre (Volkshochschule). According to the taz newspaper, it is the oldest association in Germany dedicated to the rights of farm animals. From the outset, species-appropriate poultry housing was a central theme. The association initiated petitions and expert reports that ultimately contributed to the ban on battery cages for laying hens in Germany. Its self-defined mission was to counteract a development that had led to the ruthless exploitation of farm animals as a "means of production" — a development its members considered not only dangerous for the humanisation of society but also questionable with regard to a healthy diet for the population. On 3 December 1992, the Minister for Nature, Environment and Regional Development of Schleswig-Holstein, Berndt Heydemann, awarded VgtM e. V. the Minister's Environmental Prize for exemplary work in the fields of nature and environment. In 1993, the Bartling sisters were awarded the Cross of Merit on Ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker in recognition of their services to the common good. In 2003 the association celebrated its 30th anniversary and received the additional name PROVIEH. Since 1999 it has been a member of the German Donations Council (Deutscher Spendenrat). In 2016 PROVIEH obtained the right of association action (Verbandsklagerecht), enabling it to have animal-welfare-relevant administrative decisions reviewed by courts. In 2017 the association retired the name "Verein gegen tierquälerische Massentierhaltung" and became PROVIEH e. V. In 2023 it celebrated its 50th anniversary. The federal office is located in Kiel at Küterstraße 7-9. The association is politically and denominationally independent, is financed through membership fees, donations and legacies, and its board works on an honorary basis. It describes itself as a scientifically oriented specialist association and works through consumer education, protest letters, petitions, statements and proposed amendments to guidelines and laws. Its current campaigns include a major animal-welfare demonstration planned for 10 October 2026 at Bebelplatz in Berlin, calling for the abolition of tethering (Anbindehaltung).

• 2026

  Planned major animal-welfare demonstration at Bebelplatz in Berlin, demanding the abolition of tethering (Anbindehaltung).

• 2023

  Celebrated 50th anniversary.

• 2017

  Dropped the name Verein gegen tierquälerische Massentierhaltung and became PROVIEH e. V.

• 2016

  Obtained the right of association action (Verbandsklagerecht), allowing judicial review of animal-welfare-relevant administrative decisions.

• 2003

  Celebrated 30th anniversary and received the additional name PROVIEH.

• 1999

  Joined the German Donations Council (Deutscher Spendenrat).

• 1993

  The Bartling sisters received the Cross of Merit on Ribbon of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany from Federal President Richard von Weizsäcker.

• 1992

  Awarded the Environmental Prize of the Minister for Nature, Environment and Regional Development of Schleswig-Holstein, Berndt Heydemann.

• 1973

  Founded in Heikendorf as Verein gegen tierquälerische Massentierhaltung (VgtM) e. V. by sisters Margarete and Olga Bartling.

Germany's oldest and largest farm-animal welfare association; scientifically oriented, politically and denominationally independent, working as an interface between consumers, food retail, politics and farmers.

1. 1PROVIEH | PROVIEH Nutztiere schützenprovieh.de
2. 2Team | PROVIEHprovieh.de
3. 3Kontakt | PROVIEHprovieh.de
4. 4Satzung PROVIEH e. V. | PROVIEHprovieh.de
5. 5PROVIEHwikidata.org
6. 6Proviehde.wikipedia.org