There are around 5,000 pig farms in Denmark, which produce approximately 28 million pigs annually. In fact, Denmark is Europe’s fifth-largest pork producer. Pork makes up half of all agricultural exports. The national dish of Denmark contains pork. If in Norway, oil reigns supreme, then in Denmark, pork is king.
Now imagine that scientists would release a study showing that oil is bad for the environment (ohh wait, they already did that), how would Norway feel? Well, scientists have deciphered that pigs have language, and now the whole world can understand them. Will this be the start of the pig emancipation? The Ministry of Food is ready to listen. At 28 million nationally, the pigs outnumber all of us. Should we look for a new national dish in Denmark?
Who translated the pig language? A group of scientists from Copenhagen University found that pig language has 15,425 sounds. The scientists developed a sort of Google Translate program that can listen to the pig sounds and translate them into human words. Thanks to this program, the welfare of the pigs in the farms can now be measured, and it’s not looking very good for the farmers. Most likely, new legislation on animal welfare is on the way.
While pigs are getting emancipated, birds are disappearing from Denmark. 25% of the world’s birds have disappeared in the last 40 years. Some of the most common birds in Denmark, like the skylark, lost more than half of their population. Why? Agriculture became more efficient, and there has been less space for wild birds to roam. If you are interested in knowing more, you can watch this Danish documentary.
What can you do about it? If you own a garden, think about the wild birds in your design. Provide them with food, water, and shelter, and you have done your part.
Thank you for reading and sharing Last Week in Denmark! See you in Aarhus on September 14 for the “Welcome September” event.
P.S. – The rejsekort app is now open for everyone to use.
