It also recognises that high productivity requires a strong, healthy and robust pig. 

As part of this commitment, the breeding programme will also place particular emphasis on reducing the incidence of umbilical and scrotal hernias in pigs, which will enhance animal welfare and production efficiency.  

Danish pig producers are taking another step towards improving the health and robustness of their pigs by extending the monitoring of pigs further into the production cycle. This will provide new opportunities to collect data on umbilical and scrotal hernias and incorporate these traits into the breeding programme.  

The new initiative was announced by Christian Fink Hansen, Sector Director of the Pig Sector at the Danish Agriculture & Food Council, at the Herning Pig Conference.  

Since 2021, improving piglet survival has been the top priority in the Danish pig producers’ own breeding programme. This focus has delivered strong results, with piglet survival rates reaching their highest level in 25 years. At the same time, the breeding objective has been adjusted in recent years to improve sow survival and nursing ability. 

The expanded breeding objective now also aims to reduce the incidence of hernias while maintaining a strong focus on high survival rates. 

This development builds on the principle of balanced breeding, where genetic progress supports not only production efficiency and economic performance, but also improved animal welfare and long-term sustainability.