On 14 July 1887, 500 farmers from the Horsens region joined forces

It all
started in Horsens
On 14 July 1887, 500 farmers from the Horsens region­
joined forces to form Denmark’s first co-operative meat
company. The first general meeting was held, land was
purchased, building work commenced and the equipment installed. On 22 December 1887, the c­ o-operative
meat company Horsens Andelssvine­slagteri stood ­ready
to receive the first pigs for slaughter. It was a major
event, and the local newspaper, Horsens F
­ olkeblad,
sent a journalist along to cover the opening.
- The assembled public greatly admired the skill with
which the butcher performed his task. A butcher from
the town respectfully bared his head following the
­admiration of his skills, wrote Horsens Folkeblad.
- At 4.30 in the morning, the first pig was taken by the
scruff of its neck, or rather a noose was placed around
one leg and was hoisted onto an iron rail, wrote the
journalist.
The opening of the slaughterhouse in Horsens marked­
the beginning of a new era in agricultural history.
­Co-operative meat companies became quickly established throughout Denmark and, as recently as 1962,
there were a total of 62 such enterprises throughout
Denmark.
Since these early years, Danish Crown has always
­striven for a meticulous approach to its work. This was
clear even to the audience at this historic event in 1887.
Denmark’s first co-operative meat company was a success from day one. During its first year, 23,400 pigs
were slaughtered, and 2.2 million pounds – or 550,000
kg ­– of pork sold, resulting in a profit of DKK 75,400.
2012
It is now 125 years since the co-operative meat com­
pany in Horsens received its first pigs for slaughter.
This company was the foundation stone of the ­Danish
crown group, today Europe’s biggest pig slaughterhouse – and the second-largest worldwide.
For 125 years, whether it’s bacon for breakfast, roast
pork for Sunday lunch, a birthday celebration or
­ edding feast or just a tasty late night snack, we’ve
w
always been there.
For 125 years, we’ve not just been providing a range of
delicious foods, but, as a major exporter, we’ve helped
bring wealth and prosperity to the nation of Denmark.
Collaboration
fuels exports
1902
The co-operative meat companies joined forces to
start bacon exports to the UK. In 1902, the company
Danish Bacon Agency Limited was established for this
express purpose, and Denmark soon became the most
important supplier of bacon to the UK market.
The three co-operative meat companies in Holbæk
in central Zealand, Nykøbing Falster on the island of
­Falster and Slagelse in western Zealand were behind
the formation of the company, pledging to ship 400
bales of bacon a week.
1906
In 1906, Danish Bacon Agency Limited changed its
name to the Danish Bacon Company, and co-operative­
meat companies in Randers in Jutland, Fåborg on
­Funen, and Haslev and Roskilde on Zealand came on
board. Up until the First World War, the Danish Bacon
Company shipped an average of 750 tonnes of bacon
each week.
Government introduces bacon quotas
1930
Bacon production in Denmark increased dramatically
in the early 1930s. In just 10 years, production quadrupled so that, by 1930, 5 million pigs a year were being slaughtered by the co-operative meat companies.
However, there were dark clouds on the horizon.
The Great Depression also struck bacon exports as the
economic crisis swept across Great Britain. The British­
parliament passed an act on pork imports, drastically
curtailing the importing of Danish bacon in order to
protect domestic production. When the British introduced a quota system, the Danish government was
forced to regulate pork production in Denmark.
The Danish Ministry of Agriculture therefore appointed
a bacon committee, which was tasked with controlling­
exports to the UK. The committee calculated how
much bacon could be sold, and farmers were issued
with licences (or ‘pig cards’) based on their previous
production and the size of their farms, a quota system
which became effective in June 1933.
And, bacon rationing, which was introduced during the
war years, was not completely phased out until 1954.
WAR STOPS DANISH BACON
EXPORTS TO BRITAIN
1940
When the Second World War struck Europe, bacon
exports faced another challenge. Some of the ships
crossing the North Sea were requisitioned by the
­Germans, who took all the bacon in the holds. Much of
the cargo was also lost during the North Sea crossings.
From September 1940 and until the end of the year,
6,500 tonnes of bacon were lost at sea as a result of
enemy action.
The co-operative meat company Esbjerg Andelssvineslagteri was particularly hard hit by the fact that
the UK market was cut off during the Occupation. In
the toughest years of the war, there was one week
when only seven pigs were slaughtered. By 1946,
the number­of pigs being slaughtered had surpassed
50,000, and the Danish co-operative meat companies
were success­fully re-establishing their leading position
in the UK market.
Bacon empire
grows
1951
By 1951, the Danish Bacon Company had expanded
further, and now boasted 33 co-operative meat companies. Altogether, the slaughterhouses handled 1.8
million pigs a year. A steady increase in the number of
pigs supplied meant that the Danish Bacon Company
set up a string of new branches and subsidiaries.
1970
In 1970, Danish exports of bacon and butter accounted­
for more than half of all Danish exports to the UK. Right
up until the 1970s, bacon exports drove the growth in
Danish Crown, which is today a global organisation.
The UK remains one of Danish Crown’s most important markets, with a container being shipped across
the North Sea every 48 minutes round the clock
packed with Danish pork for British consumers. At the
same time, Danish Crown has a major stake in the pig
industry in Britain, and 7,000 of its 25,000 personnel
are now employed by its Uk subsidiary, Tulip Ltd.
Bacon bales
ready for shipping
Each bale comprised four specially butcherd half
­carcases, weighing around 100 kg. After cutting and
butchering, the special bacon curing process began.
First the sides of bacon were injection-salted with a
needle. They were then placed in a basin for further
curing. Here, a special mother brine was used which
was many, many years old. The brine consisted of salt,
water, nitrite, nitrate and potassium nitrate. After use,
the brine was strained so it could be reused. The brine
had a reddish colour because it had drawn so much
blood out of the meat.
The salt brine was poured over the sides of bacon,
­covering them completely. It was important that there
was enough brine for the sides of bacon to be completely immersed so they were properly cured. The
sides of bacon were placed in the basins meat side up,
and staggered so that each topp end of the carcase sat
above the thigh bone joint on the side of bacon underneath. The brine was then poured over.
Once the sides of bacon had soaked in the brine for the
prescribed time, the brine was drained off.
Bacon wrappers
The bacon sides were then prepared for shipping
across the North Sea to the English customers. At
the slaughterhouse, two men each took one end of
the ­bacon and carried it over to a table where a piece
of hessian lay ready. The sacking had previously­
been dipped in the same brine which was used for
the curing.­The men placed the side of bacon on the
­sacking and then collected three more sides. Once the
sides of bacon had been stacked on the hessian, it was
sewn up so it could last the journey by sea.
For sewing, an approx. 5 mm cord was used with a
needle. Each man had his own needle, so they knew
precisely how much effort was required to pass it
through the hessian.
Once the hessian was sewn, ropes were passed around
the bales so they could be lifted out of the hold on
­arrival in England. The ropes for this purpose were
carefully selected by the British Bacon Company.
The rope had to be able to withstand the wind and
weather, and the English therefore used a special type
of rope made of coconut fibre. The rope consisted of
lots of small cords which were wound together to form
a single, stronger rope.
When the bacon bales – or ‘wrappers’ as they were
called at the slaughterhouse – were sewn and bound,
they were lifted onto the scales. Here they were
weighed, and the weight was printed on a small piece
of wood which was sewn onto the bale. The bale was
now ready for shipping.
On arrival at the port, the bacon bales were carried on
board for transporting across the North Sea. Broadshouldered dock labourers hauled the bales onto the
ships and carefully stacked them in the hold, and
then the ship was ready to sail. Several days later the
Danish Bacon reached its final destination on Britain’s
breakfast plates.
The Danish Bacon Story
Mid-1800s
Cheap imports of grain from North America­
cause Danish farmers to diversify from
­cereals to pig and dairy production
1847
Andreas Joachim Moller employs Thomas Bune,
an English butcher from Cork, to supervise bacon
production using ‘superior’ pigs from Britain …
the merchant ship SS Rattler sets sail from the
port of Hjerting in Jutland on 14 October, with a
cargo including ‘six sides of green salted bacon’
1850 - 1900
Rapid growth in meat consumption
in the UK as the Industrial Revolution
and the exodus to towns gather pace
1850 - 1870
Growth in exports of live pigs from Denmark
to northern Germany as Hamburg becomes a
significant source of bacon destined for the
UK market
1874
Port of Esbjerg opens, with regular
sailings from Denmark to England
1887
1890s
The City of Hamburg joins the German Customs­
Union, and the border is closed to pig imports
from Denmark. The first Danish co-operative
meat company is established in Horsens in
­Jutland. Others soon followed
Selective breeding
and testing of Danish
­Landrace pigs begins
1897
Early 1900s
Denmark overtakes the US as the
main supplier of bacon to UK market
Co-operative meat companies form a joint asso­
ciation, the Federation
of Danish Co-operative
­Bacon Factories, now
known as the Danish
­Bacon and Meat Council
(under the DMA)
1902
The Danish Bacon Agency/Danish Bacon
Company opens for business near London
Bridge (Port of London)
1914 - 1918
First World War. Loss of imported cereals and
feedstuffs leads to a decline in Danish pig
­production and bacon sales to the UK
1932
Danish bacon imports approach
400,000 tonnes