Friland sends experts to pig producers to make room for more insects and birds

9/21/2026

Friland has decided to increase biodiversity on its suppliers' production sites. The goal is to create more habitats for birds and insects, and therefore, Friland has partnered with the Organic Agriculture Innovation Center to advise pig producers on how to create more space for nature and biodiversity while ensuring that the measures are suitable for the production and the specific farm's capabilities. This is stated by the Organic Agriculture Innovation Center in a press release. Farmers receive a thorough mapping of their land and a visit from a consultant, who prepares a report with concrete recommendations and prioritized suggestions for improvements. So far, about half of Friland's pig suppliers have received a consultancy visit, and within the next year, Friland expects to have offered this to all of them. A Natural Step Lene Thomsen, senior project specialist at Friland, views the project as a natural step in the company's sustainability efforts: "At Friland, we sense interest and, not least, an expectation from retail customers that nature and biodiversity are naturally integrated as part of our focus on future food production. At the same time, we see that many of our suppliers are curious about how they can concretely work with measures on their farms. This is the reason we have initiated a project that provides inspiration for initiatives that make sense specifically on their land. The Organic Agriculture Innovation Center helps prioritize these measures so that nature benefits as much as possible," she says. The advice is based on analyses of land use, types of natural habitats, and landscape elements. Based on this data, a consultant visits each farm and, together with the farmer, identifies the most relevant actions. Biodiversity Is Under Pressure The consultants perform GIS measurements of the farm, mapping the extent and distribution of various habitat types, such as permanent landscape elements, permanent grasslands, and arable areas. "We also measure the relationship between the size of the fields and their perimeter. The data we obtain tells us about the potential for biodiversity on the farm—naturally respecting the existing conditions and efficient production," explains Jens Peter Hermansen, who coordinates the efforts at the Organic Agriculture Innovation Center. "Based on these measurements, we visit the farmer and provide individual advice tailored to the specific farm and the farmer's own wishes and interests. We combine this with our professional knowledge on how to achieve the desired effect most effectively," he continues. For Friland, the project is about both nature and understanding the actual natural conditions at its suppliers' sites. "Biodiversity in Denmark is under pressure, and as an agricultural business, we have the opportunity to contribute to solutions. With this project, we aim to support our suppliers in concrete measures that can make arable farming and land variation in the open countryside work together," says Svend Schou Borch, director of Friland. The initiative continues into 2027, with the goal that all suppliers will receive an individual plan, while the experiences are collected into a shared knowledge base to strengthen efforts across Friland's supplier network.

Friland has decided to increase biodiversity on its suppliers' production areas. More habitats for birds and insects are to be created, and therefore Friland has partnered with the Innovation Center for Organic Farming to advise pig producers on how to create more space for nature and biodiversity while ensuring that the measures fit the production and the opportunities on each farm.

This is stated by the Innovation Center for Organic Farming in a press release.

The farmer receives both a thorough mapping of their areas and a visit from a consultant, who prepares a report with concrete recommendations and prioritized suggestions for improvements.

So far, about half of Friland's pig suppliers have received a consultancy visit, and within the next year, Friland expects to have offered the service to all of them.

A natural step

Lene Thomsen, who is a senior project specialist at Friland, sees the project as a natural step in the company's work on sustainability:

"At Friland, we sense interest and not least an expectation from retail customers that nature and biodiversity are naturally part of our focus on future food production. At the same time, we experience that many of our suppliers are curious about how they can concretely work with measures on their farms. That is the reason why we have initiated a project that provides inspiration for initiatives that make sense precisely on their areas. The Innovation Center for Organic Farming helps prioritize the measures so that nature benefits as much as possible," she says.

The advice is based on analyses of, among other things, land use, types of nature, and landscape elements. Based on this data, a consultant visits each farm and identifies together with the farmer the most relevant actions.

Biodiversity is under pressure

The consultants perform GIS measurements of the farm, mapping the extent and distribution of different habitat types, e.g., fixed landscape elements, permanent grass, and arable areas.

"We also measure the relationship between the fields' area and their perimeter. The numbers we get from this tell us something about the potential for biodiversity on the farm – naturally respecting the existing conditions and efficient production," explains Jens Peter Hermansen, who coordinates the efforts from the Innovation Center for Organic Farming.

"Based on the measurements, we visit the farmer and provide individual advice tailored to the specific farm and the farmer's own wishes and interests, and we combine all this with our professional knowledge on how to best achieve the desired effect," he continues.

For Friland, the project is both about nature and about becoming familiar with the actual natural conditions at its suppliers' sites.

"Biodiversity in Denmark is under pressure, and as an agricultural business, we have the opportunity to contribute to solutions. With this project, we want to support our suppliers in concrete measures that can make arable farming and variation in the open land work together," says Svend Schou Borch, director of Friland.

The initiative continues into 2027, and the goal is for all suppliers to receive an individual plan, while the experiences are collected in a shared knowledge bank that can strengthen efforts across Friland's supplier network.