Vion to move away from imported slaughter pigs

"We have a tough nut to crack in this business and if I had my way, we wouldn't do it anymore," he said.

Alblas is of the opinion that the risks associated with animal welfare are too large in view of the discussion over livestock transports in the last few months.

Vion will continue importing pigs from Belgium and Germany as they are basically "Dutch pigs" according to a spokesperson of the company.

Currently, the company imports slaughter pigs on a regular basis from Denmark - a strategic business in view of keeping up with the competition with Danish Crown.

In the past, imports of slaughter pigs from France and Denmark caused uproar among Dutch pig producers with regard to pricing and quality guarantees.

Vion always maintained that these pigs originating from France and Denmark met Dutch quality standards for pigs. For the long time now, pig producers beg to differ.