According to a report released from the Danish Agriculture and Food Council, released at the annual meeting of the council in Herning, the expansion will be achieved through new regulations controlling the environmental effects of pig farming and easier access to funding.

The expansion forecast has been based on research of developments on the sector over the last 30 years, which saw an increase in the Danish pig herd from 10 million to 30 million pigs.

According to Nicolaj Norgaard, the director of the Danish Pig Research Centre, improvements in the environmental impact that pig farming have produced a more efficient and cleaner production system.

He said that the pig industry is expected to produce more piglets per sow.

Chairman of the Danish Pig Research Centre, Lindhart Nielsen said the research had been a wake-up call to politicians, producers and companies.

And he added that the Danish pig industry is in a position to capitalise on the growing demand for food globally, with a production system that has “the lowest environmental impact and highest food safety standards”.

Mr Nielsen said that to achieve the objectives of growth in jobs and exports there was a need for more funding to be available to help farmers develop.

“We would do well to scrap old production systems that adversely impact on the local environment, but we need to find space for new production systems where, for example the additional impact of ammonia in the local area is accepted in return for, for example, less forest area.

“We need faster and more flexible processing of environmental and building applications,” he said.