According to data released by the Danish Agriculture and Food Council (L&F), 73.1% of Danish pig farms were officially PRRS-negative at the end of 2025. The information was shared through private correspondence with the agricultural publication Boerderij, a sister title to Pig Progress.
An additional 3.5% of farms have completed a partial depopulation–repopulation process and are currently undergoing laboratory testing to confirm the complete elimination of the virus. At the same time, 21.3% of farms remain PRRS-positive, while the status of 2.2% of farms is currently unknown—this group includes, among others, temporarily empty farms.
PRRS reduction programme: launched in 2022
The Danish pig sector aims to achieve PRRS-negative status in 85% of sow farms and 75% of finisher farms by mid-2026. The PRRS reduction programme was launched in 2022, when only 53.6% of sow farms and 22.5% of finisher farms were PRRS-negative.
During 2025, a total of 74 pig farms successfully completed the so-called “hygiene trajectory” and eliminated the virus. However, PRRS was reintroduced on 16 farms, highlighting the importance of sustained biosecurity control even after achieving negative status.
What “PRRS-free” status means in Denmark
In Denmark, the term “PRRS-negative” means that no viral antigens are detected in the animals’ blood. After completing a hygiene programme, vaccination with modified live vaccines is no longer required.
Older sows that previously went through an infection may remain seropositive for some time. After farm sanitation, 20 PRRS-naïve replacement gilts are introduced into the sow facilities and closely monitored through testing. A similar procedure is repeated six months later. If the second group also remains healthy, the farm is officially granted “PRRS-free” status. Over time, such farms completely eliminate seropositive animals from their herds.
Regional approach and future restrictions
Denmark applies a regional approach to PRRS control. Of the country’s 98 administrative regions, pigs are kept in 68. By the end of 2025, 23 regions had already been declared PRRS-free, while the virus continues to circulate in 45 regions.
The goal is to obtain official PRRS-free status for all clean regions by mid-2026, in line with EU Regulation 2016/429. This will involve sanctions on the transport of pigs into PRRS-free regions, as well as stricter requirements in cases of insufficient biosecurity standards on farms.
Denmark’s experience is increasingly viewed as one of the most systematic examples of PRRS control in Europe, where the combination of voluntary participation, a regional approach and economic accountability of market participants delivers measurable results.
PigUA.info, based on materials from pigprogress.net