Pig production on Bornholm – a travelogue about pig production on Bornholm carried out in the project “Growing pig businesses on Gotland” Both Bornholm (Denmark) and Gotland (Sweden) are islands located in the Baltic Sea. Gotland is about five times as large in comparison with Bornholm, but the number of pig producers is twice as many on Bornholm. For both Bornholm and Gotland, pig production is important. Without pig production, a local abattoir would not be operating on the islands. A closure of the local abattoir would result in the loss of 150– 200 jobs. Such closure would affect the whole society. In addition, animal transports to slaughter would be significantly longer. In 2014 there was an imminent threat that the local abattoir on Bornholm would be closed due to profitability issues. With joint efforts the abattoir was rescued, and the production volumes are now expected to be 545,000 slaughtered pigs in 2021/2022. The density of pig herds on Bornholm is a raising concern among veterinarians and pig producers due to the spreading of diseases among the herds. For instance, there is a concern about the spreading of Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), which is not found in Sweden. PRRS was discovered in Sweden in 2007, but the affected pig herds were eliminated and the disease was eradicated. For both Denmark and Sweden there is another imminent threat in African swine fever (ASF), which is found in several countries in Europe. Denmark took measures to hinder the propagation of wild boars in the country, diminishing the risk of the spread of ASF. In Sweden, the wild boar population was established in the 80´s and has grown since then, increasing the risk of bringing ASF into the country. Thus, Gotland has an advantage with no wild boar population established on the island. In general, the surrounding water barrier on an island may be a natural barrier to hinder the introduction and spreading of diseases. In both Danish and Swedish pig production, there are difficulties finding staff. Between 50–70% of the staff in Danish pig production are foreigners. This proportion is significantly lower on Bornholm. So far, there is a market for agricultural properties on Bornholm, but as many pig producers approach retirement, the future situation is uncertain. It is becoming more common for employees to purchase farms in Bornholm when no relatives are interested to take over the business. For both Bornholm and Gotland, it is challenging for younger people to purchase farms due to the large investments. The process also takes many years. Developments towards more automation and digitalization in pig production became clear during the study trip to Bornholm. Danish Crown A/S has developed a mobile application in which the pig producers can report animals for slaughter. On the study tour the project group visited a pig farm with 600 sows and 20 000 fatteners. The pig farmer had invested in several automaton techniques to reduce operating costs for labor. The pig producers on Bornholm use production follow-up programs (corresponding to WinPig in Sweden) to a large extent. In addition, advisers are hired frequently. At Danish Crown A/S, there is an "owner service" that pig producers can join. In the owner service, the abattoir's consultants offer advices of interests for the pig producer. There is also a farm advisory service on Bornholm, namely Bornholms Landbrug och Fødevarer (BLF). BLF administrates several experience groups and on Bornholm there are as many as 17–18 (!) for pig producers and their staff. The intention of the groups is to exchange knowledge between pig producers. Many of the groups are aimed for the staff and are held in the pig barns. In addition, pig producers on Bornholm have a long and appreciated experience of benchmarking. The purpose of benchmarking is to compare the own business results to other pig producer’s. In Denmark, the pig veterinarian visits pig farms continuously, approximately every month. Visits by the pig veterinarian provide additional advices and follow-ups for the pig producer.