The goal is to identify challenges and to gather and share good ideas that can improve pig welfare in four key areas: Loose-housed sows, intact tails, pain-free castration and entire male production, as well as housing and pen design. Many Danish solutions have been recognised as among the best in Europe.
WelFarmers is an EU project in which agricultural organisations and research institutions from eight member states collaborate to identify practical solutions and knowledge that can help European pig production progress towards improved animal welfare. The Danish Agriculture & Food Council’s Pig Sector and Seges Innovation are the Danish project partners. They have organised workshops, networking events, and knowledge-sharing activities in which Danish producers have contributed both challenges and practical solutions that can enhance animal welfare in everyday farm operations.
Throughout the project, proposals are collected from the herds and evaluated, with the best solutions selected through an assessment and voting process. Four ideas were to be collected from each country per theme per round via the regional networks. In Round 2 alone, around 200 Danish ideas were collected, from which the five best per theme were selected. Four expert groups and regional networks have identified the top three initiatives in each of the four categories. In the first round, there were six Danish solutions among the top solutions, and in the second round, five of the top-ranked solutions originated from Denmark. These selected initiatives highlight the strong innovative capacity and commitment to animal welfare among Danish pig producers. The combination of practical experience, professional collaboration, and strong networks enables the development of solutions that are effective in everyday operations and have the potential to be implemented across national borders.
Hanne Maribo, Senior Consultant at the Danish Agriculture & Food Council, Pig Sector
“In Denmark, development and innovation in animal welfare are of great importance. It is essential that we collaborate on advancing animal welfare in Europe. WelFarmers aligns with this objective and is built on best practice and the exchange of experiences among the participating countries. We can all learn from one another, and this helps us improve animal welfare together," says Hanne Maribo, Senior Consultant at the Danish Agriculture & Food Council, Pig Sector.
At the same time, the selected practices are assessed for their environmental and economic impacts to ensure an appropriate balance between animal welfare, climate and environmental considerations, and farm profitability.
Danish winners in Round 2:
Theme: Loose-housed sows
Loose-housed until the day before farrowing reduces the number of stillborn.
Theme: Intact tails
Rooting material must be adapted to the pig.
Theme: Pain-free castration and entire male production
Immunovaccination while feeding.
Optimising feed for immunocastrated entire male pigs.
Theme: Housing and pen design
Floor plate with slatted flooring.
The winners will receive a certificate in recognition of their efforts. All winning initiatives from each round will be featured on the WelFarmers website through videos and accompanying descriptions.
You can read more about WelFarmers here:
WelFarmers to promote pig welfare across the EU
Denmark joins the first EU project focused on animal welfare
WelFarmers – Our commitment is rooted in showing respect for pigs