Danish Crown (DC) has asked its supplies in Denmark to start producing “UK pigs” to meet a growing demand for high-welfare pork.
“Send us more UK pigs,” said DC pork export vice president, Carsten Lehrmann (pictured above). “We need them.”
The request, posted on the company’s Danish website, goes on to state that DC is experiencing a growing demand for high-welfare pigs from one of Britain’s largest retail chains and increased interest from other non-UK markets.
The welfare standards the company is looking for include the loose housing of sows after weaning and a diet which doesn’t feature animal fats, meat and bone meal or blood products.
To highlight how straightforward and affordable the production of “UK pigs” is, the website item also quotes Danish producer, Bent Munk, joint-owner of Tandergaard, Mårslet, 10 miles south of Aarhus.
Mr Munk, who has been supplying “UK pigs” to DC since 2014, invested the equivalent of £100,000 to gear up for production. He told the company’s website that the move had been “good business” for his unit.