Denmark to exercise greater control over tail docking

The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration will visit 400 pig farms between January and July this year to see if pig farmers have done enough to prevent tail biting among their animals. Tail docking will only be allowed if the producer has written documentation that efforts are being made to reduce tail eating. Bearing in mind that there are many factors that affect tail biting among pigs and that, for example, the presence or absence of enrichment material can help to limit stress in pigs, thus reducing the risk of tail biting and increasing the animal welfare, the Administration shall verify that the pig farmer has carried out a risk assessment of conditions that may prevent tail biting and therefore reduce the need for tail docking. If there is no tail biting and the risk assessment also shows that the risk of tail biting is low, the pig farmer should develop an action plan that describes how to gradually introduce pigs with intact tails. Background: Routine tail docking of ...