New system seen as cause of rising pig abuse cases in Denmark

There is growing evidence of pig abuse cases in Denmark, and the finger is pointed at the new system introduced in 2006.

An increasing number of pigs are arriving at slaughterhouses with visible injuries caused from being beaten with planks and chains. The new system is seen as the culprit, as it rewards the fast loading of animals onto transport vehicles, which may make farmers apply force in order to quickly load the pigs.

In the past two years alone, the number of pig abuse cases in Denmark has increased five-fold.

The University of Copenhagen's Department of Veterinary Disease Biology and Denmark's leading processor, Horsens' Danish Crown, have recognised the trend which has seen some instances of over 30 pigs arriving at slaughterhouses with serious injuries from a single truck.

Professor Henrik Elvang Jensen of the University of Copenhagen said studies into the injuries indicated that most had occurred on farms, and that pipes, chains and other blunt instruments were the likely cause.

However, Danish Crown's pork production committee head, Erik Bredholt, provided another reason for the abuses.

The rise in porcine trauma had little to do with the new system but was rather a reflection of the increased economic pressure most farmers are currently facing, according to IceNews, citing Bredholt.