Why have pigs taken centre stage in Denmark’s national elections
Danes are electing their new parliament today and while Donald Trump is threatening to invade Greenland, water pollution caused by intensive pig production and appalling animal welfare have turned into key issues for the election campaign.
Denmark produces about 40 million pigs a year, roughly seven times its population. Around 90% of the production is exported, but the impacts of this factory model remain in the country: polluted groundwater, dead fjords, intense smell and polluted air for communities living nearby, and people’s property prices dropping with each animal factory expansion.
Copenhaguen Demo for et svinevalg 22. marts 2026 (c) Dyrenes Beskyttelse
— Box: Denmark’s pig production in numbers —
Denmark produces more meat per capita than any other country in the world, with 320 kg per person.The country has the most developed integrated production system, with ‘farms’ producing more than 5.000 pigs grew from 198 in 2000 to 940 today.
While 75 % of Denmark’s agricultural area is used for growing animal fodder, the country has the lowest amount of protected natural areas in the EU.
For more information about Europe’s intensive agriculture sector, have a look at Friends of the Earth Europe’s The true cost of factory farming briefing.
Several civil society organisations, including Friends of the Earth Denmark and the National Association Against Pig Factories, have been working hard over the past few weeks to make this major issue for people, animals and nature centre stage, to great success: the election has been dubbed the “pig election”! Earlier in March, they launched the pig election campaign together with Animal Protection Denmark, Greenpeace Denmark, and the Nature Conservation Organisation, gathering 150 people in parliament and over 2000 people online across the country.
Stories from pig factories’ neighbours made the front pages of national newspapers Politiken and Information, and were featured on local radio stations in South Zealand, West Zealand, and Funen. Every big media outlet has published an editorial on the topic, including Ekstra Bladet and Weekendavisen.
— Box: Personal stories of life next to factory farms —
The National Association Against Pig Factories just released a collection of 12 first-hand accounts of factory farms’ neighbours from all over Denmark. The testimonies provide insight into the hardships of living near a conventional pig production facility. From heavy traffic making public space dangerous for children, to noise and air pollution making residents sick, to the harassment many people face when stand up for their rights.
The campaign culminated on the eve of the election with a massive pig demonstration in Copenhagen, where Friends of the Earth Denmark stood alongside the National Association Against Pig Factories and 5200 people coming from all over the country to demand an end to pig factories. Reporting on the last campaign days, national newspaper Weekendavisen wrote : “The only compelling and unstoppable theme of the election campaign is pig farming and its destructive effects on the oceans, fjords, drinking water, and animal welfare.”
Copenhaguen Demo for et svinevalg 22. marts 2026 (c) Dyrenes Beskyttelse
Never has the movement to change agriculture in Denmark been so broad. Whether this election will be a tipping point in agricultural politics in Denmark will depend on what coalition government is agreed upon.
For now, we celebrate that the efforts of the National Association Against Pig Factories supported by Friends of the Earth Denmark, for bringing a crucial message into the spotlight: this is not just a Copenhagen issue. It is one that people across the Danish countryside care deeply about.
Copenhaguen Demo for et svinevalg 22. marts 2026 (c) Dyrenes Beskyttelse
