Origin & animal welfare

If you are using a skin care product based on beef tallow, its quality does not start in the development laboratory - but rather with the question of how well the animals that provide the raw material are doing. The high-quality composition of the lipids depends directly on the conditions under which the animal was kept: what it ate, how much exercise and fresh air it had and whether it was able to develop species-appropriate social behavior. In particular, artificial feed and additives as well as stress caused by a lack of space (tethering!) are absolutely taboo.

Swiss Tallow therefore sources its beef tallow exclusively from Swiss companies. But what does that mean specifically? And how does Swiss cattle farming compare to conventional and organic farming in Germany and the EU?

The answers are surprisingly clear.

Where EU organic ends, Swiss standards only begin

In the European Union, the animal welfare guidelines only regulate the keeping of calves (up to 6 months), laying hens, pigs and broiler chickens. For adult cattle, dairy cows, sheep and goats there are no specific husbandry regulations at EU level.

Germany goes beyond this with its Animal Protection Act (TierSchG) and the Animal Welfare and Farm Animal Husbandry Ordinance (TierSchNutztV) sometimes exceeding the EU minimum standards. The livestock regulations contain regulations for calves, pigs, laying hens, broiler chickens and rabbits. However, there are no specific husbandry regulations for adult cattle and dairy cows in Germany either – only the general principles of the Animal Protection Act (species-appropriate nutrition, care, behavior-appropriate accommodation). Since July 2024, an Animal husbandry labeling with five levels for cattle has been introduced, which however represents a labeling requirement, not a husbandry regulation.

In Switzerland the picture is completely different: this Swiss Animal Protection Act (TSchG) and the Animal Welfare Ordinance (TSchV) have contained detailed regulations for since 2008 all livestock species – including specific minimum dimensions for stables, exercise, feeding and care. Switzerland and Austria are the only countries in Europe with such comprehensive legislation.

The comparison in detail

Feeding: More grass than EU organic requires

In Switzerland, the feed of conventional cattle consists on average of 80% roughage - i.e. grass, hay and silage. EU organic cattle, on the other hand, are allowed to receive up to 40% concentrated feed. That means: In practice, conventional Swiss cattle eat significantly more grass than EU organic cattle are required to at least according to regulations.

Swiss organic farms (according to Bio Suisse) go even further: at least 75% grass in the valley, 85% in the mountain areas, a maximum of 5% concentrated feed. In Germany there are no requirements for roughage content for conventional farms - the use of concentrated feed is significantly higher than in Switzerland.

Why is this important for beef tallow? Grass feeding results in higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) in the animal's fat. This has a direct effect on the quality of the sebum and thus on the care effect.

Run and pasture: How Swiss cattle live

In Germany, grazing for conventional cattle is not legally required. Tethering is still permitted and is still widespread, particularly in southern Germany.

Benefit in Switzerland over 85% of all farm animals from the federal RAUS program (Regular exercise outside). Most Swiss cattle live in a combination of stables and pastures: from spring to autumn they graze on pastures - often on alpine pastures in the mountains. This seasonal rhythm corresponds to the natural needs of the animals.

Around 80% of Swiss farms are family businesses with significantly smaller herd sizes than in Germany - this enables more individual care and better animal-human relationships.

Transport and slaughter

The EU transport regulation applies in Germany: cattle are allowed up to Transported for 14 hours, after a one-hour break another 14 hours – up to 29 hours in total. In Switzerland the maximum travel time is 6 hours. The animals must be unloaded after 8 hours at the latest.

Stunning is used during slaughter in Switzerland mandatory without exception. In Germany it is also mandatory in principle, but exemptions are possible for religious reasons (§4a TierSchG). This also applies to EU organic farms.

Castration without anesthesia has been banned in Germany since 2021 - in Switzerland since 2010. Dehorning of calves up to 6 weeks is permitted in Germany without anesthesia, but in Switzerland only with anesthesia and pain treatment.

Control and enforcement

A crucial difference that is often overlooked: In Switzerland, agricultural operations controlled by the state and animal welfare violations are consistently sanctioned - up to and including a court-ordered, nationwide ban on keeping offenders. This fundamentally distinguishes the Swiss system from many EU countries, where unfortunately there are often hardly any consequences even for documented offenses. Another factor in Switzerland is the precise testing of stable facilities, for example, for animal welfare conformity and practical suitability before they are approved - a type of TÜV for farms and stables that does not exist in Germany or the EU.

In Germany, there are control mechanisms over the veterinary offices, but the implementation and control frequency varies greatly between the federal states. There is no nationwide uniform testing system for stable facilities before they are put into operation.

In the international animal protection index of the organization World Animal Protection, Switzerland achieves the Top grade B. Germany is at grade C.

What does this mean for the quality of our beef tallow?

The farming conditions have a direct impact on the composition of animal fat. Cattle that mainly eat grass, get a lot of exercise and live in low-stress conditions also produce fat higher content of omega-3 fatty acids, more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and one higher concentration of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K). Low-stress husbandry and natural feeding also lead to a finer fat structure, which is more easily absorbed by the skin.

Our beef tallow comes from pasture-raised cattle in the Swiss Alps - from local farmers we know personally. The animals graze on alpine pastures, do not receive any genetically modified feed and live under conditions that are among the highest animal welfare standards in the world.

Your skin doesn't just deserve good care - it deserves a raw material backed by a system that doesn't see animal welfare as a marketing label, but as a lived reality.

Find out more about our filtration process and Swiss quality standards on our page premium quality. Or discover our products.