Farmers’ Forum shakes off another initiative

24.02.2022

Daka launches new training material to help farmers equip their staff to deal with dead animals on the farm. The educational material is the result of Daka’s innovation initiatives, which are carried out in cooperation with Danish farmers.

Daka is actively working to bring the company closer to the people who work with dead animals on a daily basis. A new initiative is now becoming a reality – a comprehensive training material aimed at employees that farmers can use themselves in their daily operations.

“At Daka, we are in regular contact with farmers on farms around the country, but we are not in the same direct dialogue with the employees who often handle dead animals on a daily basis. Therefore, we have developed an educational material that serves as a simple tool for the farmer to communicate the correct handling of dead animals. We are aware that dead animals are not at the top of the agenda on many farms, and therefore we want to make the work as easy as possible for both the farmer and the employees,” explains Communications and Marketing Manager at Daka Søren Mohr Jensen.

The educational material is a result of Daka’s insight into farmers’ needs through the Sustainable Innovation Forum. Daka launched the forum back in 2019 and convenes several times a year. Here, representatives from Daka meet with 14 farmers, where ideas are developed and sparring takes place on initiatives and challenges within the industry and the handling of dead animals.

“The material is an idea that stems from the input we have received directly from the farmers in the forum. The training material is a tool to ensure a more consistent approach and can be easily re-used when new staff join. Proper handling of dead animals helps to improve the image of the farm, increase the level of recycling and contribute to veterinary safety across farms” explains Søren Mohr Jensen.

Working more closely with the farmer
The material consists of a 3 slide show each with its theme, optimal handling, good use of the PIGUP&KO app and The Value of Dead Animals. In addition, videos have also been made in which Daka goes through the themes, which can be used after the farmer has gone through the material himself, or distributed independently to the employees. The material is supported by written background material and a poster, to be hung on the farm.

“The material relates to daily life on the farm and visualises the tasks involved in handling the dead animal, it helps to clarify some of the questions my employees, but also I as a farmer, have about handling the dead animals. Therefore, it is also a good opportunity to talk about working procedures and to refresh the most important parts of the handling of the dead animals” explains Allan B. V. Pedersen, who is a member of the Dakas Farmers’ Forum and has been involved in testing the training material.

The farmers’ forum has also helped raise Daca’s awareness of the fact that employees often speak several languages.

“In several cases, the barn staff have a foreign background and come from a different agricultural background. Therefore, we inform both about the importance of handling dead animals correctly in Denmark and how the animals should be handled. Initially, the material is available in Danish with an English translation, while all video material is subtitled in several of the languages that are often spoken among agricultural workers” says Søren Mohr Jensen – Communications and Marketing Manager at Daka

FACTS

  • The educational material consists of three slide shows, a booklet with background material and a poster visualising the optimal handling of dead animals.
  • The material is intended to be used as a presentation by the farm manager on individual farms.
  • The material is initially in Danish and English.
  • The educational material will ensure proper handling of dead animals, which reduces the costs of spoilage for the farm and overall helps to increase sustainability and improve the image of the industry.