The Prosecutor’s Office may face challenges regarding animal welfare cases, as drivers from the transportation company SPF, part of Danish Crown, have been instructed to limit their statements to the police. According to the Danish news outlet Information, which obtained an internal directive, the drivers are only allowed to provide their name, CPR number (the Danish personal identification number), and address to the police, while refusing to answer additional questions. This restrictive communication policy could complicate the work of the prosecutor’s office.

Klaus Holten Kristensen, a special prosecutor at the Funen Police (Fyns Politi), stated that while it is not illegal, it significantly hinders the ability to prove violations of the animal welfare law. “It is thought-provoking. It is not illegal, but it has the consequence of making it difficult and sometimes impossible to substantiate a case,” he explained to Information.

Neither SPF nor its parent company, Danish Crown, wished to comment on the situation in an interview. However, Jens Hansen, head of communications at Danish Crown, stated in a written response that the directive does not align with the company’s values. “The document we have distributed to our drivers employed by SPF does not reflect what we stand for at Danish Crown. Therefore, we have immediately initiated a review process to update the guidelines that our drivers rely on in their daily work,” he wrote.

SPF-Denmark, which employs around 160 drivers, specializes in transporting pigs, both to slaughterhouses and for sale to other herds, domestically and internationally. It remains unclear how changes to the directives will impact future animal welfare cases and collaboration with the police.