We offer the following recommendation, together with the WHL (Wirtschaftsverband Häute / Leder (Trade Association for Hides / Leather)), as a proposal for the wording for individual agreements between tanneries and suppliers and/or to supplement the current Terms and Conditions of Purchase (as of 22.05.2018):
<< The Supplier is committed to the objectives of European animal welfare and the associated regulations. The Supplier hereby assures that it will exclusively purchase hides from companies which, to its knowledge, always comply with the relevant legal provisions for the protection of animals, as amended from time to time, in particular also with the relevant legal provisions of the European Union for the protection of animals, as amended from time to time, which always apply as a minimum standard. The Supplier agrees to an arranged inspection of the respective local situation by the Customer.
The Supplier shall, by means of appropriate self-disclosure requests to its direct external suppliers, work towards ensuring that they always comply with the relevant legal provisions of the European Union for the protection of animals in the respective applicable version, which shall always apply as a minimum standard.
Should the Supplier violate animal protection regulations, the Customer shall be entitled to withdraw from the contract or – if this concerns a framework contract or any other continuing obligation – to extraordinary termination for an important reason with immediate effect. Further claims made by the Customer against the Supplier that arise from the breach of contract shall remain unaffected.
In cases of a breach of animal welfare regulations by external suppliers of the Supplier, the Customer shall be entitled to rescind the contract or – if the contract is a framework contract or any other continuing obligation – to terminate the contract for an important reason with immediate effect if the Supplier, despite being aware of breaches of animal welfare regulations by its external suppliers, acquires hides from these suppliers and sells these hides to the Customer. In any cases of a violation of animal welfare regulations by external suppliers, of which the Supplier is aware or should have been aware, the Supplier shall work towards bringing about improvements that are specified in an action plan agreed with the external supplier. >>