Danish Meat Trade. 



233 



factories for the English market. This trade suddenly ceased 

 in 1887, when Germany, on account of the outbreak of swine 

 fever in Denmark, closed her ports against imports of 

 Danish swine for some years. The disease was comparatively 

 quickly stamped out, but it gave a great, impetus to bacon 

 curing, so much so, that in the course of a few years about 

 30 bacon-curing factories sprang up, of which at least two- 

 thirds are on the co-operative principle. Competition has 

 perhaps been too keen, but without doubt a considerable 

 market has been worked up for Danish bacon in England. 

 How this industry has grown will be seen from the following 

 figures : between 1891 and 1895 the average net exportation 

 of pork (principally bacon) rose to the annual value of 

 £1,722,200, while the annual exportation of live pigs, which 

 was resumed to Germany in 1890, and which consisted 

 principally of large fat bears and sows that were not adapted 

 for bacon, rose to £555,600 in value, making altogether 

 £2,277,800. For the last three years the importation of live 

 pigs has again been prohibited by Germany, but Denmark's 

 exports of pork products has increased, their value in 1897 

 being £2,888,900. 



The exportation of fat cattle is, owing to force of circum- 

 stances, about to undergo a similar industrial development, 

 whereby part will in future be exported as fresh meat, and 

 part as preserved meat and sausages. For many years store 

 cattle were fattened in the marshes, and then exported to 

 England, via Tonning, and from 1864-71 the export amounted 

 to 40,000 cattle yearly, and reached double that number 

 twenty years ldter, valued approximately at £950,000. The 

 importation of cattle from Europe into Great Britain w T as 

 prohibited in 1892, and in 1893 Germany, in consequence of 

 an outbreak of foot and mouth disease, closed her ports 

 against Denmark, at a time when the export of cattle was 

 most active. The animals were then slaughtered in order to 

 export them as meat. Germany rescinded the prohibition in 

 1894, but in 1895 fresh restrictions were imposed, and it 

 became almost impossible to export live cattle from the com- 

 mencement of 1898. Since then dead meat has been 

 exported on a large scale, and arrangements have been 



