In the beginning of the 1970s there were 40 to 50 cooperative slaughterhouses in Denmark, and in 2005 the number has decreased to 2. Today, Denmark processes 22 million pigs equalling 1.9 million tons of pork. Danish Crown is the biggest pig processor in the European Union, accounting for 8% of the pigs slaughtered. The Danish pork industry is highly export oriented (85% exported). The cooperative structure of the Danish pork industry is considered a very important factor in the success of the industry on a global basis because they can develop a very high level of food safety and traceability. The Danish pork industry has built its reputation on the capabilities of supplying requested volumes and quality of pork to processors all over the world. Denmark has implemented a system for full traceability of the individual animal from farm to slaughterhouse. Denmark has strong research capacities within primary production and processing of pigs. Environmental regulations and scarcity of land have put a limit on future expansion of pig production. In the future, pork trade will increase particularly in Japan, China, and South East Asia, each of which Denmark already exports to. Increased competitiveness must come from economies of scale, flexibility, proximity to the market, and increased internationalization.