- The ban is to remain in effect until new, stricter regulations governing pig farming are adopted.
- As the Minister for Nature and Animal Welfare, Social Democrat Christian Rabjerg Madsen, stressed, the aim is to "create a more sustainable sector".
Denmark’s Ministry of Agriculture abolished
The memorandum does not apply to organic farming or to keeping animals with access to outdoor runs. Farmers will still be able to renovate existing farms.
In Denmark, after the March parliamentary elections, the Ministry of Agriculture was abolished for the first time in history, and the ministry was given a new name: Nature and Animal Welfare. During the campaign, pig farming was one of the major topics of debate. Politicians drew attention to the negative environmental effects and the nuisance caused to neighbours.
The memorandum was opposed by the organisation representing farmers and food producers, Landbrug & Foedevarer, whose representatives consider the ban introduced by the government illegal. Pig farmers are considering legal action.
12 million pigs in Denmark
Denmark, with a population of just over 6 million and seven times smaller than Poland (excluding Greenland), is one of Europe’s largest pork producers and a leader in piglet exports. Nearly 97 percent of the imported component supplied to Polish farms came from Denmark.
According to statistics, Denmark had 12 million pigs in April this year, 3,2 percent more than a year earlier. The increase concerned fattening pigs, breeding sows, and breeding animals alike. Poland has more than 9,1 million pigs.
