The food minister, Dan Jørgensen, the government's very own 'Dr DoAnything', is once again proving he listens to the animals: this time to Danish cattle.
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The Danish government has decided to double its funding over the next six years to the sector – a move that will substantially improve the cattle's welfare and create up to 2,500 new jobs.
In previous years, calves have endured long journeys overseas or simply been slaughtered – to avoid the cost of raising them in Denmark.
But with 180 million kroner in funding each year until 2020, plus an additional 93 million each year earmarked for animal welfare (improving farms' stables and capacity for organic farming), Jørgensen believes the government can really turn the cattle industry around.
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“The cattle industry has dealt with unsatisfactory conditions for many years, making it important for me to improve them and simultaneously improve animal welfare and our ability to organically farm,” Jørgensen said in a press release.
Happy cows give more milk
“Better welfare produces more milk,” said Jørgensen, who expects dairy production to increase by around 20 percent by 2020.
The agreement, which has been signed by the government and approved by parliament, is projected to increase the industry’s annual turnover by 3.5 billion kroner and create 2,500 new jobs at slaughterhouses and on dairy farms.
