244 Danish Co-operative Bacon-curing Industry. 



the report of the deputation, which has been issued in pamphlet 

 form.* 



The total number of bacon factories in Denmark is at present 

 fifty-one, consisting of twenty-seven co-operative bacon factories, 

 with 64,000 members, and one in course of erection, and twenty- 

 four private factories. The number of pigs killed at these co- 

 operative factories is said to be over 777,000 annually. In some 

 cases, in conjunction with the co-operative factories — in fact, in 

 eleven cases out of the twenty-seven — there are slaughter-houses 

 for animals other than swine, attached, and in the year 1902 

 about 12,000 other animals were slaughtered at the bacon 

 factories. 



The Kalundborg co-operative factory was the first one visited 

 by the deputation in Denmark, and may be taken as typical of 

 the organisation of these establishments. It has a membership 

 of 1,220, and deals with 16,000 pigs per annum. 



The organisation of the Kalundborg Society began with the 

 holding of a series of meetings in all the parishes within a radius 

 of about ten English miles. The project was fully discussed, 

 and experts from the Royal Danish Agricultural Society were 

 in constant attendance to explain technical points in connection 

 with the industry, and to give instruction in the breeding and 

 rearing of pigs. The farmers were invited to bind themselves 

 to their society in a two-fold form of guarantee, namely — 

 (1) that they should supply the whole of the pigs raised on 

 their farms to the factory for a period of eight years, with certain 

 exceptions clearly specified in the rules ; and (2) that they 

 should become guarantors for the loan required to erect and 

 equip the factory, and to provide working capital in the propor- 

 tion allocated by the organising committee, and based upon the 

 size of their farms. At first there was some difficulty in con- 

 vincing farmers that this guarantee was perfectly safe, and 

 consequently, at the outset, the membership was small. As 

 soon, however, as the functions of the society came to be under- 

 stood, almost every farmer was but too willing to pledge his 

 credit in its interest and support it by every means in his 

 power. 



* Department of Agriculture {Ireland) : Bulletin 5, Miscellaneous Series, 



