During this time, across Danish farming as a whole, productivity and profitability have stagnated, partly as a result of extra costs imposed by environmental regulation, according to the UK's National Pig Association.

It is becoming increasingly difficult for farmers to meet environmental regulations and remain financially viable and over the past 10 years the number of farms has fallen by over a third, and the average farm size has almost doubled to 155 acres.

In an attempt to halt the decline in its farming industry, the Danish government is to use Rural Development Programme money to help roughly eight per cent of Danish pig and cattle farms (3,300 farms) to restructure.

The programme will simultaneously target environment, climate and animal welfare issues.

The Danish Rural Development Programme was formally adopted by the European Commission on Friday.

Its theme is "Green conversion and green jobs" and it includes the goal of doubling Denmark's area of organic farmland.