Danish pig farmers required to empty manure pits weekly

New regulations that will be implemented at the beginning of 2023 state that Danish pig farmers must empty the manure pit under the pig barn at least once a week. This is one of the measures taken by the livestock industry to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At a national level, the target is that greenhouse gas emissions in Denmark must be 70% lower in 2030 than in 1990. Livestock farming must also contribute to the reduction plan.

The assignment for the Danish agricultural sector is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by between 6.1 million and 8 million kilos of CO₂ equivalents on an annual basis. That is not an easy task, says Maria Stein Knudsen, Climate and Energy adviser at the Danish organisation for agriculture and food production (L&F). Stein Knudsen: “The reduction obligation for the next 8 years is the same as the reduction achieved in the past 30 years.”