New animal welfare agreement in place
February 8 marked a milestone in animal welfare: a new agreement ensures loose housing for Danish pigs, more pigs with intact tails, and increased training
A crucial milestone for danish prig prdouction
The cross-party agreement creates a long-term framework and will bring stability to the sector in the years ahead, says the Chairman of the Danish Agriculture & Food Council’s Pig Sector Erik Larsen.
"Predictable and long-term framework conditions are vital for Danish pig producers. If we are to plan our future production, we must know what the future demands are. We need sufficient time to write off existing buildings and invest in new ones that meet the new requirements for both sustainability and animal welfare. With broad political agreement on future animal welfare for Danish pigs, we thus have a predictable and long-term framework – which we welcome.”
Measures for intact tails and mandatory loose housing
The new animal welfare agreement means that it is mandatory for all new farrowing pens to be designed for loose housing and that the use of stalls is phased out during a transition period. However, protective rails may be used in the initial days post farrowing to protect piglets.
A redistribution mechanism is also being introduced which gives a special premium to producers who produce pigs with intact tails. To increase sow and piglet survival, a study will be set in motion to examine possible initiatives in this area. In addition, training requirements will be intensified to boost sow survival.
Animal welfare agreement reflects the sector's future objectives
Erik Larsen welcomes the fact that many of the measures in the animal welfare agreement reflect the sector’s own objectives for the development of Danish pig production, as set out in the Vision for the Future of Danish Pig Production.
“There are, of course, certain things I would have formulated differently had I been writing the agreement, and I will be paying close attention to how the transition scheme for loose housing will be implemented. The arrangement needs to take the standard depreciation period for a building into account – which is 30 years – so we ensure the proper time for depreciation of existing housing units. That said, I’m also pleased that politicians have listened to where the sector itself sees the future. With this agreement in place, we can truly see how valuable it is that we, as a sector, have taken proactive responsibility, come together and identified how we believe the future should look.”
European animal welfare agreement postponed indefinitely
While the new animal welfare agreement has now been concluded, the European animal welfare agreement has been postponed indefinitely. This means that Danish farmers are facing additional requirements while efforts to ensure uniform European standards have come to a standstill.
"We need a European animal welfare agreement that ensures uniform requirements across the EU. Denmark has now taken a step forwards. I would therefore like to urge the Danish Food Minister to ensure that the Danish government, during Denmark’s EU presidency in 2025, makes it a priority to ensure the EU reaches an animal welfare agreement that ensures similar competitive conditions throughout the EU. This is crucial for Danish pig producers,” says Erik Larsen.