Unannounced control visits to pig producers showed such frequent rule violations that the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration had to urgently summon L&F to a meeting

In the summer half of 2025, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration carried out targeted checks on 269 herds, which showed that 30 per cent. of the sow herds were without sprinkler systems, which are used to cool down heat-affected pigs. For the fattening pigs, the figure was 14 per cent. of the herds, while a further 6 per cent. of the fattening pigs had facilities that were not used.

It has been a legal requirement since 2000 that stables must have sprinkler systems, but the Board notes that this is a breach of the law, which it frequently encounters in its inspections.

Pigs cannot regulate their own body temperature, so without showering, fattening pigs will typically try to wallow in their own urine and manure, while sows will to a greater extent seek to lie on their sides in crevices.

The case comes right in the wake of TV 2’s documentary ‘Who looks after the pigs?’, where we saw several politicians distance themselves from the hidden camera methods. Here, however, we are not talking about a hidden camera, but unannounced control visits from the Danish Food and Drug Administration. I wonder what the politicians are saying now?

READ MORE: Control visits to pig producers revealed so many breaches of the law that the Danish Food and Veterinary Authority called an emergency meeting along the way