News article, 19. December 2022
An industry sets standards
The Danish pig sector has a clear vision of where it’s heading. Over the coming years, focus will be trained on sustainability and animal welfare.
The Danish agri-food sector has set itself an ambitious goal – to be climate-neutral in its food production by 2050. Its future course has already been firmly embedded. Last year, for instance, saw the launch of the digital climate tool, the ESGreen Tool whose software for recording the climate impact at farm level can be used in all areas of conventional and organic agriculture. Farmers can use it to calculate their farm’s carbon footprint and determine how changes to feed and slurry management, etc. can have a positive impact on the climate balance.
The Danish pig sector has come a long way in reducing its environmental impact over the past few decades. According to the Danish Agriculture & Food Council, a number of measures have enabled the country’s pig farmers to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus emissions per kg of pig meat produced by 53 and 56 per cent respectively since 1985. The industry has even succeeded in reducing ammonia emissions by 75 per cent and all this with a significant increase in meat production.
Danish pig production is at the forefront of reducing antibiotic usage. The foundation was laid in 1994 when the Danish government prohibited veterinarians from selling such medicine. Reserve antibiotics such as third and fourth generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones and polymyxins have not been used in Denmark for years. These antibiotics should not be used in livestock production to avoid the development of resistance.
Further initiatives are in the Danish pipeline. By 2030, for example, around 60 per cent of the slurry from pig production will be used in biogas plants. By 2050, pigs will be able to move freely in all housing units and have intact tails. By 2032 90% of the pigs will have to have intact tails. Specifically, this means that tail-docking will be a thing of the past.