Danish pig production has a high food safety. This is owing to a strict control where both the abattoirs and the authorities each day check e.g. hygiene and bacteria occurrence based on spot checking for residues.

The abattoirs’ self-control system plays an important role in the maintenance of a high level of food safety. Moreover, the authorities play an important role. The official veterinary inspection, e.g. checks all carcasses after slaughtering. This control ensures that only healthy parts from healthy animals are approved for consumption. The control also includes spot checking for undesired residues in the meat of e.g. drug residues, illegal hormones, pesticides and heavy metals.

Denmark has a very low occurrence of salmonella of just over 1 per cent. The low level is due to a very good hygiene at the abattoirs that are inspected on an ongoing basis and a targeted programme for salmonella monitoring which has been in place since 1993.