These were therefore the two main objectives for a large scale
slaughterhouse automation program initiated by the Danish pig
meat industry about 10 years ago. A contributing factor was, and
still is, the concern for the ability to attract sufficient labour.
The first milestone of the program was to provide a number of
machines for automation of the slaughter line. A few years later a
number of new machines for automation of cutting and boning
were finished.
The program is executed by the Danish Meat Research Institute
(DMRI) in close cooperation with and directed by the Danish pig
meat industry. The DMRI performs the development activities in
cooperation with a number of other research organisations, technology
providers and machine manufacturers in Denmark and
abroad. The program comprises more than 30 development projects
and the total development costs are expected to exceed 40
million Euro. The program is funded by the Danish pig production
industry via a pig production levy.