Horsens Records Over Million Pigs Processed

On November 3, 2014, in Randers, it was reported that a decade after the first pig was butchered in Horsens, the world's most advanced pig slaughterhouse is set to reach a milestone of 40 million pigs slaughtered. The state-of-the-art facility, located outside the city near the highway, has seen remarkable growth since it replaced the old slaughterhouse in 2004. The previous slaughterhouse, located in the heart of Horsens, was the first cooperative pig slaughterhouse. The new facility began operations on September 23, 2004, and after an initial phase, it was officially opened in May 2005. The old Horsens slaughterhouse processed 47 million pigs over 117 years. In contrast, the new facility has processed 40 million pigs in just ten years, reflecting the evolution of Danish pig slaughterhouses over the past 125 years, according to Per Laursen, the plant director at Danish Crown, Horsens. Laursen noted that on the first day of operation in 1887, the old slaughterhouse processed eight pigs, while the new facility processed 118 pigs on its first day. Despite the modest beginnings in both cases, Laursen believes the pride felt on September 23, 2004, was equal to that felt in 1887. Interestingly, if the 40 million pigs slaughtered at the facility were lined up, they would stretch twice around the globe. Despite being located near the highway, the E45 motorway's many kilometers of asphalt would not be sufficient to accommodate this. Since its inception, Danish Crown in Horsens has undergone several expansions and can now process approximately 100,000 pigs per week. Currently, workers are expanding the facility's cooling capacity to ensure it can handle the large quantities of meat processed daily.