Controversies
Working conditions
The International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF) criticizes Tönnies for "miserable working conditions", with more than 70% of the employees at the main plant employed under temporary work contracts.
Illegal disposal of slaughterhouse waste
From 2017 to 2020, slaughterhouse waste was processed in a biogas plant in Paulushofen, although the plant did not have a permit for this. Much of the slaughterhouse waste came from a slaughterhouse in Weißenfels in Saxony-Anhalt, which belongs to the Tönnies meat group. More than 450 trips are said to have been made from there to Paulushofen.
Racism accusations
In 2019, Clemens Tönnies was temporarily suspended from his position as chairman of the supervisory board of the German soccer team FC Schalke 04 because of accusations of racist statements. On 30 June 2020, Clemens Tönnies decided to step down from his role as the chairman of Schalke's supervisory board after 19 years in service.
Protests against the resumption of operations during the COVID-19 pandemic
On July 4, 2020, the alliance Gemeinsam gegen die Tierindustrie held a rally on the factory premises to demand that the decommissioned slaughterhouse remain permanently closed. Earlier that night, activists had climbed onto the building and attached a banner with the words “Shut down animal industry”.
On July 17, 2020, around 300 participants protested against the reopening at the plant site. This was opposed by 300 farmers who welcomed the reopening of the company.
In March 2022, Tönnies was criticised for trying to recruit meat factory workers among Ukrainian refugees at the Polish-Ukrainian border.
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Protest in Rheda-Wiedenbrück
On February 15, 2024, a peaceful action by the Gemeinsam gegen die Tierindustrie alliance took place on the grounds of the Tönnies headquarters in Rheda-Wiedenbrück. Activists unfurled banners with the inscriptions “Gemeinsam gegen Tönnies” (Together Against Tönnies), “Tönnies Vergesellschaften” (Socialize Tönnies) and “Neokolonialismus stoppen” (Stop Neocolonialism). The alliance announced further actions against the company.
Protest in Crailsheim due to the takeover of Vion by Tönnies Holding
In April 2025, protests took place in Crailsheim against the planned takeover of the Vion slaughterhouses by the Tönnies company. Around 80 activists from the alliance "Gemeinsam gegen die Tierindustrie" blocked the plant by gluing themselves to the site, setting themselves in concrete and even climbing onto roofs and lampposts. The police had to deploy special forces to remove the demonstrators. Operations at the slaughterhouse came to a temporary standstill.
The protest action was aimed specifically at Tönnies, which is criticized by the activists for its role in industrial meat production. The protesters fear that the takeover will lead to a further concentration of market power and have negative consequences for animal welfare. According to the activists, Tönnies is emblematic of a system that relies on factory farming, exploitation and profit orientation. The activists expressed their solidarity with the workers with a banner. To prevent the takeover, the alliance Gemeinsam gegen die Tierindustrie has also filed a complaint with the Federal Cartel Office.
The demonstration, which was peaceful according to the police, was not registered. The incident once again highlights the social controversy surrounding the business practices of the company, which has already been criticized in the past for working conditions and animal welfare.
