Denmark to step up inspections of pig farms

Denmark will increase inspections of pig farms after auditors criticised the oversight of animal welfare, DR reports. The government and the Alternative party have agreed on new measures, including more inspectors and a 50 per cent increase in checks.

A review by the Ministry of Justice found that 1,500 follow-up inspections from 2025 and the first half of 2026 remain outstanding. Follow-up checks from earlier years have also not been completed.

The measures will generally raise the number of inspectors assigned to each check from one to two. Authorities will also recruit 100 additional inspection staff, more than doubling their number, according to the article.

Alternative leader Franciska Rosenkilde called the plan a victory for animal welfare. She said the measures were about ensuring farmers comply with the law, not targeting individual farmers.

The State Auditors criticised the oversight this spring. In April, the National Audit Office issued its second-highest level of criticism of the authorities. A subsequent Ministry of Justice review found that inspections were inadequate, sanctions were mild and the system was not meeting political targets.

Landbrug & Fødevarer, an agricultural and food industry organisation, welcomed stronger oversight but said inspections should focus on farms that fail to meet animal welfare requirements. H.C. Gæmelke, chair of its pig section, also called for more consistent inspections and better-trained inspectors.

Gæmelke warned that expanding inspections and their operating hours could increase costs for Danish agriculture and have major consequences for food production. He said the organisation did not oppose inspections but did not want checks to be carried out simply for their own sake.