The new logo ’Bedre Dyrevelfærd´ (Better Animal Welfare) contains three hearts which are coloured in to indicate improvements in animal welfare for the pig. The more hearts the more improvements made.

“I hope that Danes will welcome the new animal welfare label. The label will give consumers more choice and enable them to support animal welfare where it suits their preference and their purse. No matter whether consumers choose pork with one, two or three hearts, they will be able to see how much more animal welfare they can buy for their money,” said Minister for Environment and Food, Esben Lunde Larsen.

It is hoped that the logo will encourage more investment in animal welfare improvements on Danish pig farms.

In other news, a veterinary researcher at Iowa State University, US, has discovered a novel virus in the central nervous tissues of young pigs with polio-like weakness in their hind legs.

The virus was discovered after investigation of samples taken from 11-week-old pigs that could not walk due to a mysterious weakness in their hind legs.

The diagnostic team found microscopic lesions in the pigs’ central nervous tissues containing a novel sapelovirus that researchers had not previously encountered.

Despite the evidence collected, the team is not yet completely sure if the virus is responsible for all the lesions in the spinal tissue or if there is another unknown factor contributing to the neurological symptoms.