Denmark pledges emergency package after 1,500 inspections missed
Tuesday 8th September 2026 on 10:30 in
Denmark
A review has found that around 1,500 follow-up animal welfare inspections from 2025 and the first half of 2026 have not been carried out, Danish broadcaster DR reported. Some inspections from earlier years are also outstanding.
Justice Minister Nicolai Wammen said the review showed that there had been problems for several years both with animal welfare in livestock facilities and with the inspection system.
“It is simply not good enough,” Wammen said in a statement from the Ministry of Justice. He announced an emergency package to significantly strengthen inspections and tighten sanctions, but did not provide further details.
The package will allocate more resources to animal welfare inspections and impose tougher penalties on livestock owners who fail to properly care for their animals, Wammen said.
“A blatant failure”
Animal welfare group Dyrenes Beskyttelse called the situation “a blatant failure of the animals”. Its director, Britta Riis, said it was deeply shocking but not unexpected because the organisation had repeatedly raised concerns about the inspections.
Inspection of pig welfare received sharp criticism from the state auditors in April. The auditors said several problems created a risk that poor animal welfare would not be detected or stopped.
The Ministry of Justice also said the review showed that authorities would not be able to meet the target of inspecting 20 percent of pig and cattle herds in 2026. The target was set out in the 2024-2027 animal welfare agreement “Together for the Animals”.
The ministry attributed the shortfall to staff shortages and an unusually high number of bird flu outbreaks.
Since 6 July, responsibilities previously held by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and the Ministry of the Green Tripartite have been divided among five ministerial areas. Animal welfare matters were transferred to the Ministry of Nature and Animal Welfare, while animal welfare inspections were transferred to the Ministry of Justice.