News article, 24. February 2023

Danish retailers support government's animal welfare label

The year has brought a change to Coop's labelling scheme for animal welfare. The Danish retailers are signing up to the government's animal welfare label.

Photo: Danish Agriculture & Food Council

"We can do more for animal welfare by being part of the joint scheme, influence how the requirements develop and thus contribute to ongoing improvements to animal welfare,” says Coop's CSR manager, Thomas Roland.

At the Danish Agriculture & Food Council, Mette Gammicchia, Head of Trade & Market Relations, welcomes the broad collaboration on animal welfare. "It’s gratifying that the entire Danish retail trade now sells meat and dairy products under the Better Animal Welfare label and together support the further improvement of animal welfare in Denmark.”

Road to Better Animal Welfare
Better Animal Welfare was introduced in 2017 to improve the welfare of as many animals as possible through consumer buying behaviour. Initially, the scheme only applied to pig meat. Since then, chicken, veal and beef as well as dairy products have come on board. The scheme allows for three tiers of welfare symbolised by hearts. The greater the number of hearts, the higher the standard of animal welfare. On 1 July 2022, some 2,654 farms were associated with the scheme, including 174 pig farms, of which 82% have achieved three hearts and thus the highest level for the animal welfare label in Denmark.

The easy choice for the consumer
According to an analysis carried out by the Danish Agriculture & Food Council in 2022, animal welfare is a motivating factor for Danish consumers. With the Coop’s accession to Better Animal Welfare, it will be easier for consumers to navigate welfare standards. It is therefore hoped that the market for better welfare will grow and boost standards across Denmark.