As covered at the Herning Pig Conference and previously reported in Pig Industry Matters, Danish pig producers are set to triple the number of pigs raised with intact tails next year, from 1 million this year to 3 million. By 2028, the target is between 4 and 6 million pigs.  

The most significant aspect of this initiative is that the increase will be achieved through the Danish pig industry’s own actions – ahead of the formal negotiations within the four-party agreement on pig production. The “Together for Intact Tails” scheme invites pig producers to contribute to a common fund, enabling compensation to be paid to farmers who voluntarily raise pigs with intact tails. This practice requires significant additional effort and investment, such as enhanced monitoring, more space, more feeding and drinking stations, adjustments to ventilation systems and the provision of more straw.    

Political involvement 

The four-party agreement, which, in fact, comprises seven organisations, represents four interest groups – the Danish government, representatives from Danish agriculture, animal welfare and environmental organisations and industry and labour representatives. Negotiations are set to begin in January 2027 with a deadline of June 2027. Should the parties fail to agree a set of recommendations and solutions, the Danish government will introduce the necessary political measures itself.  

At this year’s Herning Pig conference, Chairman of the Pig Sector at the Danish Agriculture & Food Council, H.C. Gæmelke, said that the “Together for Intact Tails” scheme is a response to the debate over whether the industry can improve animal welfare without political intervention.  

“It has been claimed that we pig producers only take action when politicians force us to do so, with a knife to our throats. But here is the answer. In just one year, we’re tripling the number of pigs with intact tails, and we’re paying for this ourselves. This demonstrates that voluntary initiatives can achieve significant progress when they are technically sound and economically viable. Higher animal welfare standards must work in practice, on the farm, rather than simply looking good on paper or sounding appealing in a populist speech.”   

It seems that pig producers have welcomed the initiative, with the result that the compensation per pig has been reduced from DKK 50 to DKK 39.  

“This does not mean we have reached our goals. But it shows that Danish pig producers are willing and able to make progress,” said the Chairman.