During this year’s first convention of the Danish, German and Dutch pig keepers’ lobby groups, which was held at the end of February at Federicia / DK, the Dutch pig keepers’ comparison of slaughter companies was of great interest to the participants.

By tradition, the managers and board members of Danske Svineproducenter (DSP), of Nederlandse Vakbond Varkenshouders (NVV) and of the Interessengemeinschaft der Schweinehalter Deutschlands e. V. (ISN) meet every six months. During those meetings, current political framework as is valid for pig keepers as well as various issues regarding the carcass pig market are being agreed upon.
The next convention will be held in Germany in September 2005.

Comparison of slaughter companies
When Hendrix Meat Group was taken over by Vion (formerly Bestmeat) in the Netherlands, the NVV felt to be given grounds for having a detailed analysis being carried out with regard to prices for carcass pigs. It was found that Vion paid the lowest producer prices of all last year, being closely followed by Hendrix. In future, Vion and Hendrix together will be dominating about two thirds of the Dutch carcass pig market. Amazingly, three cents more were paid per kg slaughter weight last year by Denmark’s Tican than were by the monopolist, Danish Crown.
The three lobby groups mentioned above are striving for a joint international comparison of slaughter companies to be made regularly.

In face of the cross-border concentrating of slaughter companies, a comparison is getting ever more important on a pan-European level, as is claimed by the producers. The ISN, too, currently works on a comparison of German slaughter companies, into which more than 100 already out of the whole of 217 German slaughter companies have been included.

Competitive distortion results from various interpretations of EU statutory provisions
The pig keepers worry about the EU statutory provisions to be interpreted variously in the individual member countries. So, for instance, the Danes and the Dutch converted the EU pig keeping guideline into national law. In Germany, however, much higher standards are being planned to be introduced by the legislation, which would result in competitive disadvantage. In Denmark again, one fears that legislative initiative might be put into force by the government through which the Danish pig keepers would be restricted to a considerable extent.

Annulment of feeding ban on animal proteins and fats
With regard to carcass disposal, which has to be paid for to a large extent by the Dutch farmers and even completely by the Danish farmers, the Dutch and the Danes found an interesting alternative in the German way of partly being co-financed by public authorities. Much money must be paid by the pig keepers for the monopoly held by Rendac (Dutch carcass remover) and by DAKA (Danish carcass remover).

Jointly, the three lobby groups demand that the feeding ban on animal proteins and fats be annulled. “For ethical- and cost reasons, it is necessary that products suitable for food production are being returned to the sustainable cycle of ‘animal improvement’, especially as animal fats are part of the feed ration in Denmark anyway”, demand the pig keepers.

Danes and Dutch wish for exporting more piglets into Germany
At present, the Dutch and Danish pig keepers invest more money into piglet production for making more of a profit from Germany’s growing need for piglets. In about four to five years’ time, however, this might result in a considerable excess in piglet production.

Given a 12 000 registered ISN members, about 70 percent of all German pig producers are being represented by the ISN. The DSP holds more than 1 600 registered pig keepers, thus representing about two thirds of the Danish pig production business. About 50 percent of all Dutch pig producers are being represented by the NVV and its more or less 3 000 members.

See photo, from left to right:
Bernhard Bonekamp (ISN), Hans Aerestrup (DSP), Wyno Zwanenburg (NVV), Willie van Gemert (NVV), Hans Joergen Tellerup (DSP), Willem Groot Wassink (NVV), Soeren Schovsbo (DSP), Carsten Christiansen (DSP), August Rierfort (ISN), Detlef Breuer (ISN).
[(Missing: Torben Poulsen, DSP)]