Danish Crown plans new Vejen pork facility as pig supply rises
The move comes as the group navigates trade pressure in China and mixed performance across divisions.
DENMARK – Danish Crown has set out plans to open a new pork production facility in Vejen, Denmark, a project expected to add around 100 jobs as the cooperative responds to higher pig deliveries from member farmers and adjusts its industrial footprint to current market conditions.
The company said the plant is scheduled to start operating on 1 October 2026 and will be dedicated to deboning pork foreends, with weekly capacity projected at about 60,000 units, reflecting a shift toward more specialised processing rather than expanding slaughter volumes.
According to group chief executive Niels Ulrich Duedahl, the recruitment drive is directly linked to the renewed inflow of pigs for slaughter, which has increased labour needs across parts of the business after a period of tighter supply.
The Vejen site was purchased by Danish Crown in April 2023 and covers roughly 14,000 square metres, and while the buildings are already approved for food production, the company said limited refurbishment work will be required before equipment installation and staffing can begin.
Senior vice president of production Jesper Sørensen said concentrating specific tasks at Vejen is intended to simplify workflows at the group’s abattoirs in Horsens, Herning, Rønne and Blans, which will continue to focus on core slaughter and primary processing activities.
Because the facility is located close to three of Danish Crown’s Jutland abattoirs, the group expects shorter transport routes for raw material and easier coordination between sites, while also drawing on a local labour pool with experience in food and meat processing.
Danish Crown said it has started the permitting process for the Vejen operation and expects regulatory approvals to be completed by the end of the first quarter of 2026, allowing installation work to proceed on schedule.
Trade pressure and mixed financial results
The expansion plans follow a challenging year in China, where Danish Crown reported in December 2025 that its annual net profit fell to about US$122 million, down more than 21% year on year, largely due to Chinese anti-dumping tariffs on European pork.
The company told Reuters that the roughly 30% import duty introduced in early September has forced it to absorb part of the cost and attempt price increases, with the remaining impact passed back to farmer-owners, particularly because much of the China-bound volume consists of low-value offal.
By contrast, Danish Crown said in November that its beef division recorded stronger performance, with revenue rising to about US$1.05 billion from roughly US$915 million, alongside a 28% increase in average payments per kilo to cattle suppliers and cattle prices ending the year 48% higher than at the start.
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