Against the backdrop of the Copenhagen Hospitality College, four government ministers held a press conference Wednesday about the future of the Danish pork industry.
In the March election this year, animal welfare, especially with regard to pigs, was front and centre.
When the new government was presented, this was an issue that was also emphasised. So much so, that ministries’ responsibilities were shifted around. The Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Fisheries was dismantled, and in large part replaced by a Ministry of Nature and Animal Welfare.
Additionally, the new government promised a four-part agreement (or quadripartite as it’s called in English) that would ensure new rules and checks for the pork industry. Following Wednesday’s press conference, we now know a little more about the framework for this agreement.
Ministers set out their views
Minister of Nature and Animal Welfare, Christian Rabjerg Madsen of the Social Democrats (Socialdemokratiet), outlined the issue as the government sees it, “Today, many pigs have too little space, around 95% have their tail docked, and millions of piglets die every year.”
Speaking on the environmental angle, Minister of the Environment, Maria Reumert Gjerding of the Green Left (Socialistisk Folkeparti) said, “We have a pork production that pollutes our fjords and coastal waters and puts pressure on nature. Close to the stables, neighbours are also feeling the consequences.”
Also in attendance, representing the Moderates (Moderaterne) was Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who noted, “Over the past 15 years, the number of pigs slaughtered and slaughterhouse workers in Denmark has fallen by approximately one-third, while the number of exported piglets has increased by more than tenfold.”
The final minister at the conference, Martin Lidegaard, Minister of Business and Competitiveness for the Social Liberals (Radikale Venstre), struck a more optimistic tone, “With this quadripartite agreement, we can create a stronger and more sustainable food production, strengthen our competitiveness, and secure more value within Denmark.”
The framework presented
The ministers announced that the quadripartite will involve the following organisations: the Danish Agriculture & Food Council, (Landbrug & Fødevarer), Animal Protection Denmark (Dyrenes Beskyttelse), the Food Union NNF (Fødevareforbundet NNF), the Danish Society for Nature Conservation (Danmarks Naturfredningsforening), the Danish Chamber of Commerce (Dansk Erhverv), the Confederation of Danish Industry (Dansk Industri), and the government.
As DR cheekily remarked in their coverage, “It is unclear why it is called a quadripartite, considering how many stakeholders are actually involved.”
The parties will begin negotiations at the start of next year and will be given six months to come to a compromise on initiatives that satisfy them all.
If such an agreement is not reached, the government will step in and, as noted in the government’s own press release, “take the necessary steps to ensure that the reform is implemented.”
The negotiations will be chaired by the former mayor of Aarhus, Jacob Bundsgaard.
Preparations before negotiations
With three months still ahead before negotiations start, the government also outlined the work that would take place during this time.
An expert group has been established, which will look into issues around the pork industry, the effects of potential measures, and find gaps in the current knowledge on the area.
Rabjerg Madsen also added that he will engage in a fact-finding mission, travelling around the country meeting with experts and stakeholders.
Measures already taken
Last week, the government already took its first concrete action on the pork industry, when it introduced a temporary stop on all expansions and new establishments of pigpens in Denmark for the next year.
This was met with opposition from some opposition parties, especially the Denmark Democrats (Danmarksdemokraterne), whose spokesperson on the area, Kim Edbjerg Andersen, called it “an excuse to come out and deliver an axe blow to rural areas.
“Some of the people who have just been notified that they are no longer going to be working on designing or building a pen for the next twelve months, well, they’re now without a job.”
After a series of legal experts questioned whether the government had authority to take this decision, he has also called for an independent inquiry into the issue.
Even the government’s confidence-and-supply partner the Red Green Alliance (Enhedslisten) has expressed worries about the legalities despite supporting the action taken by the government.
Is the quadripartite off to a bad start?
After the government’s press conference on Wednesday, it was revealed by DR that the Danish Agriculture & Food Council was not informed about the contents of the announcements until 90 minutes beforehand.
H.C. Gæmelke, chairman of the pork sector wing of the Danish Agriculture & Food Council said that, “It is a peculiar starting point for a close cooperation that the parties only find out what the work will concretely entail less than two hours before the government presents it to the public.
“If the four-party coalition is to succeed, it requires mutual trust.”