For many years, Animal Protection Denmark has worked to raise awareness of the conditions faced by the approximately 200 million animals reared annually in Danish farming systems. These are conditions which, according to the organisation, do not sufficiently meet the animals’ needs. Animal Protection Denmark states that around 25,000 piglets die every day in the Danish pig industry, while sows in conventional production systems are confined in farrowing crates during birth and nursing periods, and pigs generally have very limited opportunities for stimulation and natural behaviour. Caged hens have restricted opportunities to express their natural instincts, and broiler chickens have been bred to grow faster than their legs and hearts can support.
Only around one third of Danish dairy cows are grazed outdoors during the summer months, and according to Animal Protection Denmark, feed additives are increasingly used to reduce methane emissions in support of intensive indoor production systems.
Animal Protection Denmark argues that current practices in conventional Danish agriculture should be restructured to allow animals to live with better opportunities to express their natural behaviour. While the organisation has consistently presented animal welfare arguments, it also experiences that the transition towards more animal-friendly farming systems is progressing very slowly.
With support from the QATO Foundation, Animal Protection Denmark has therefore launched a three-year project aimed at establishing a foundation that will enable the organisation to also contribute economic perspectives to the debate.
The economic analyses include, among other things, the production system itself, the transport of live animals, the export of Danish animal products, and the role of EU agricultural subsidy schemes. The aim is to contribute constructive input on how greater consideration for animal welfare can be integrated into the production of animal-based food products.
The project is ongoing, having received support from the QATO Foundation in 2023 for a defined project period from 2024 to 2027.
"If animal welfare is to improve in practice, it is essential to understand animal production as an economic system. This project enables us to identify the incentives and structures that keep animals within an industrialised system — and to point towards solutions that extend beyond individual consumer choices,” says Britta Riis, CEO, Animal Protection Denmark.
Since 1875, Animal Protection Denmark has worked to improve the lives of animals. The organisation advocates for stronger animal welfare policies, works to improve conditions for animals in Danish industrial farming, handles animal welfare cases throughout Denmark, rehabilitates injured wildlife at wildlife care centres, and operates shelters where companion animals are given the opportunity to find new and caring homes. In addition, the organisation supports selected international projects aimed at improving animal welfare.
Explore more cases in the Annual Report 2025
