When Denmark is mentioned, people immediately associate it with Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales. Few people know that this small Nordic country with a population of only about 6 million and a land area of about 43,100 square kilometers is also known as the "European food cabinet". In particular, the pig industry is highly developed, with 30 million pigs slaughtered every year. 90% of this is exported, accounting for about 23% of Denmark's agricultural exports, is the world's third largest pork exporter, is a veritable pig powerhouse.
Pig farms
Danish pig farming Free-range
Below, the small editor of the rural assembly number once took you to see how Denmark's developed pig industry is refined.
- Breeding high-quality breeding pigs is the basis for the development of the Danish pig industry.
Breeding pigs are known as the chips of the pig industry, and Denmark's developed pig industry is inseparable from high-quality breeding pigs. Denmark has established more than 20 core breeding farms and 65 expansion farms across the country, raising and preserving a large number of great-grandparent and grandparent breeding pigs, realizing cross-breeding of Danish breeding pigs, and continuously optimizing parent breeding pigs.
90%-95% of Danish breeding pigs are bred by artificial insemination. Genetic lineage monitoring between populations to prevent inbreeding. At the same time, Danish pig breeding experts will also regularly evaluate the daily weight gain, feed-to-meat ratio, lean meat rate, litter size, body size, meat pH value, slaughter loss rate, etc. of breeding pigs, so as to select excellent breeds and feeding methods.
Denmark's breeding pig breeds mainly include Great White, Changbai, Duroc and Landries, all of which are recognized as excellent breeds in the industry. Among them, the world-famous "Landries" lean pig is a new pig breed bred by many trials in Denmark since 1896. It has one more vertebrae and two ribs than the average pig, has a long waist, thin back, more lean meat, and fast growth and development, and can grow to more than 90 kilograms in five months.
"Landris" lean pig
Denmark has a high farrowing rate of these breeding pigs, with the number of piglets weaned per sow per year, with an average of 34.0 piglets on Danish farms in 2021, and in a few exceptional cases even reaching a staggering 40, far higher than in other countries. For example, Spain has 26.93 head and the United States has 26.08 head. This compares to Denmark 10 years ago at 26.6. Moreover, Danish breeding pigs are highly resistant to disease and have a short growth cycle, and the piglets can grow to 230 pounds in 5 months after weaning. It is precisely because of the high-quality pig breed that it is the basic guarantee for the efficient development of the Danish pig industry.
- The quality of the high quality has been recognized by the market.
Danish pork is exported to more than 140 countries around the world, and the quality of its products is recognized by consumers around the world. The young age of the pigs and the tender meat are one of the characteristics of Danish pork. Due to the high quality of the breed and the focus on balanced nutrition during the feeding process, the growth potential of the pigs is fully exerted, and they can be slaughtered in about 6 months, so the meat is fresh and tender. The main index to evaluate the tenderness of pork is the content of intermuscular fat, which affects the taste of pork, and relevant tests show that about 2% of pork with intermuscular fat content is in the best state. Danish pork has been carefully bred over many years and has an average intermuscular fat content of about 1.5% in tenderloins and similar cuts, making it ideal for processing and retailing.
Danish pork is tender
The higher the IMF, the clearer the fat spots in the meat
In the slaughtering process, in order to prevent the muscles of pigs from shrinking and hardening after slaughter, Danish pigs are generally placed in a low temperature environment of no more than 5 °C for 3 days after slaughtering before packaging, so that the protein that causes the meat to harden is slowly degraded and restored to a tender state. From breeding, feeding, slaughtering to segmentation and packaging, through a series of means, Danish pork is shaped to make it tender and delicious. In addition, Danish pork is lean type, and its lean meat rate is about 60%, which meets the needs of pork consumption in the world today, which is also one of the important factors for the success of the Danish pig industry.
- A high-standard pig production management system ensures food safety.
In terms of feed, the Danish pig industry prohibits the use of growth hormones such as catalysts and hormones in pig feed. The meat and bone meal of dead pigs should not be used as feed, Salmonella in feed should be strictly controlled, and the use of chemical additives such as antibiotics in feed should be eliminated. Antibiotics can only be used in the treatment of pig diseases and can only be purchased and consumed with a veterinary prescription. This also makes Denmark the country with the fewest antibiotic use in the global pig industry. Since 1991, the detection rate of antibiotic residues has never exceeded 0.05%.
Reduce the use of antibiotics in the Danish pig industry
It is even stricter in terms of regulation. Pharmacies, veterinarians and feed mills are required to provide information on prescription drug use to the Vetstat database, a series of measures that prevent the misuse of antibiotics. Since 2014, five pig cooperatives under the Danish Crown Group have conducted the world's first fully antibiotic-free farming experiment. Slaughterhouses are responsible for comprehensive testing of residues in fresh meat, and all slaughterhouses must be certified to the Global Red Meat Standard (GRMS). Denmark's pork sampling volume is four times that required by EU regulations, and high-intensity spot checks are a strong guarantee for food safety. Every three years, both pig slaughterhouses and farms are certified by an independent certification body to ensure that the pigs meet food safety and other standards. This series of strict pig supervision standards and management systems has helped ensure food safety in the pig breeding process and won market trust for Danish pork products.
Danish farmer Stine Mikkelsen, who is a participant in a pilot project for pig antibiotic-free breeding, was one of the first such people in Denmark.
- The large-scale and professional pig breeding system has significantly improved production efficiency.
In the past 30 years, the scale of the Danish pig industry has been continuously improved. In the 1990s, there were 27,000 pig farms, and by 2010, there were only 5,000. In 2021, only about 2,500 pig farms remained, and the number of pig farms decreased significantly, but pig production remained basically stable and production efficiency was significantly improved. Today, 90% of pig farms have more than 2,000 head.
Danish pig farms
Danish pig farm
In terms of pig production and processing, the Danish Crown and Tican groups slaughter more than 90% of Denmark's pigs. Large-scale breeding requires highly automated production technology, intelligent feeding system according to the growth stage curve of pigs, regular and quantitative feeding, and equipped with drinking water, ventilation and room temperature adjustment and other programs, controlled by computer automation. The work and rest time of pigs is also strictly unified, eating at a fixed point every day, drinking water at a fixed point, defecating at a fixed point, exercising at a fixed point, listening to music at a fixed point, physical examination at a fixed point, regular quarantine, etc.
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Listen to music for the pig every day
According to statistics, a farm with 10,000 pigs slaughtered in Denmark only needs an average of 3 laborers, and labor productivity is second to none. In addition to intelligent equipment, the Danish breeding industry also has high requirements for the level of specialization of talents, and not just any labor force can engage in pig farming. To become a licensed pig farmer, you must have the corresponding professional knowledge, which requires 3 years and 8 months of training. Even if you only want to be an ordinary pig farm employee, you have to study for 2 years to start the job before you can be allowed to work on the farm. It can be seen that in Denmark, pig raising is not a manual job, but a technical job. It is also because of the highly specialized pig breeding personnel that the pig farm can adopt advanced agricultural scientific and technological achievements to achieve the efficient development of the pig industry.
Highly specialized pig farming practitioners in Denmark
- Cooperatives are the operational organization for the prosperity of the Danish pig industry.
The first cooperatives in Europe were born in Denmark, and cooperatives are one of the secrets of the commercial operation of the Danish agricultural industry. Cooperatives in Denmark are not organized on a geographical basis, but according to industrial sectors. Different cooperatives have joined forces to form a federation, which is under the unified control and dispatch of the state, further enhancing its efficiency in production and sales. The cooperative's operating capital is a percentage of each pig sold or slaughtered by each member, and the cooperative uses this money as market operation and research and development funds.
Cooperatives in Denmark
Denmark's two largest pork processing companies, Danish Crown and Tican, are cooperatives. The Danish cooperative slaughterhouse was founded in 1887, and after more than 50 years of development, around the 30s of the last century, all pig farmers in Denmark joined different cooperatives. After continuous mergers and reorganization, there are only two pig slaughtering cooperatives in Denmark. Through cooperatives, farmers only need to raise good pigs. The fields of pig breeding, feed, slaughtering and processing are all served by professional cooperatives, and farmers do not have to worry about it. The cooperative also uses a certain mechanism to prevent price reduction and price increase. Through the cooperative mechanism, Denmark's pig industry has achieved efficient commercial operations, reduced transaction costs and malicious competition in all links of the industrial chain, realized the efficient operation of the entire industrial chain, and pig farmers can also share the profits of the industrial chain.
Tican pig slaughtering cooperative
Danish Crown pig slaughtering cooperative
- Focus on animal welfare and set industry benchmarks.
Animal welfare has been a topic of great concern in the European and American farming industry in recent years, and in this regard, the Danish pig industry has become a model. Since 1999, Denmark has introduced various mandatory indicators to ensure the living conditions of pigs. For example: the roof of a pig farm must be covered with natural creatures such as wood and straw; Pigs over 20kg have shower service on the farm; Pregnant pig mothers will be equipped with more space and cannot restrict the free access of prospective pig mothers; The piglet must have a well-designed crawling area, etc.; The transport process is as comfortable as possible, and the mortality rate of Danish pigs during transportation is only 0.009% (2011), which is the lowest level in the world.
Farm showers
The transportation process keeps the pigs as comfortable as possible
For example, the average outdoor space of each pig is not less than 2.3 square meters, which is equivalent to twice the space of conventional pig farming, and the government also stipulates that they must be slaughtered and free-range between April and November every year.
Between April and November each year, it must be released from the pen to free-range
At the time of slaughtering, a civilized slaughtering method is implemented, and a pleasant and hygienic pain-free euthanasia is implemented for the pigs that come out of the slaughter. Before the pig is slaughtered, let the pig enjoy music, bathe and rest for two hours, and then send it to the carbon dioxide chamber to fall into a coma within 2~3 minutes, and finally end his life painlessly. This focus on animal welfare has set an ethical benchmark for the Danish pig industry and has won over consumers.
Pain-free euthanasia of pigs out of the slaughter is pleasantly hygienic
- Pay attention to environmental protection and realize green pig farming.
The environmental problems faced by the pig industry are mainly manure disposal and greenhouse gas emissions, and in this regard, the Danish pig industry has been significantly improved through technical and managerial means. For example, the maximum allowable nitrogen emissions per hectare for pig farms in the European Union is 170 kilograms, while Denmark is even stricter, at 140 kilograms. By enhancing the digestion and absorption capacity of pigs to nitrogen and phosphorus in feed, relevant production enterprises greatly reduce the pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorus emitted by pigs through feces.
Achieve green pig farming
The Danish pig industry increases feeding efficiency by improving feeding systems and ingredient ratios to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from pig manure and exhaust. At the same time, through the establishment of a manure heat energy recovery system, the methane in the manure is recovered to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions in the manure. In terms of manure disposal, the Danish government requires pig manure to be stored for a minimum of 9 months, must be stored in a manure tank or manure storage lake, and must be capped to prevent the loss of ammonia nitrogen and rainwater dilution.
Establish a manure heat energy recovery system to recover methane in manure
Case summary and reference
The Danish pig industry has formed a professional production management system from pig breeding, pig breeding to slaughtering and processing, especially in pig breeding and food safety has reached the world's leading level. We cannot fully replicate the development path of the Danish pig industry, but the management that focuses on quality and safety is very worthy of our reference.
With the improvement of people's consumption level, more and more attention is paid to food safety. The domestic pig industry is also plagued by the abuse of antibiotics and growth hormone, as well as diseases such as swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease, which has caused great damage to the overall image of the pig industry and affected the confidence and reputation of domestic pork in the minds of domestic consumers.
In the case of large fluctuations in the overall production capacity of the pig industry, it will be the direction of future development to promote the development of the pig industry from focusing on scale to focusing on quality by improving the relevant standards in the process of pig farming. Second, we must attach importance to the role of industrial service organizations. Mainland pork prices fluctuate greatly, there is a clear pig cycle, and the business environment is more unstable for pig farmers with less risk resistance. Guiding pig farmers to establish cooperatives and establish stable cooperative relations with downstream processing enterprises, so as to achieve stable operation of pig farmers, will play an important role in promoting the healthy and stable development of the mainland pig industry.
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