Danes told to raise pig welfare standards

- Published: 13 December, 2011

The chairman of Danish meat company Tican has warned Danish pig producers that they must endeavour to meet the improved animal welfare standards demanded by UK consumers and retailers, according to Danish newspaper Landbrugasavisen.

Speaking at a meeting at Denmark’s second-largest slaughterhouse, Jens Jorgen Henriksen said the increased demand from the UK for higher-welfare meat ultimately included meat from non-castrated pigs.

He said this posed an opportunity for Danish processors as UK consumers were prepared to spend more for higher-welfare meat. He said: “Since Britain is the most important market for us, obviously we must take on these trends.

“You could choose to see this as a threat to our current production methods — I think we should see it as a long-term business opportunity.”

The UK, which is Denmark’s second-largest importer of pigmeat, imported 284,000t of pigmeat from Denmark in 2010.