The United States isn’t the only country with a border wall controversy these days. However, Denmark’s planned 42-mile (70km) fence along the German border is intended to keep out not people but wild boars, which authorities say threaten to bring disease to Danish pig farms.

Construction on the fence was beginning on Monday along the northern edge of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Danish lawmakers and the country’s environmental agency approved the project last summer, arguing it would help farmers protect their pigs against African swine fever (ASF).

The disease, lethal for pigs, has not yet been spotted in Denmark or Germany but it is common in eastern Europe and there was a small outbreak in Belgium last autumn.

Though the threat of ASF may not sound alarming on its face, pigs and pork production are no joke in Denmark. The country has nearly twice as many pigs as people – it’s home to more than 12 million pigs across 3,000 farms, compared with a human population of just under 6 million – and pig exports account for billions of pounds annually.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Hard boar-der: the fence will keep boar out while allowing larger animals to jump over. Photograph: Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Getty Images

The fence will measure 1.5 metres (5ft) tall, theoretically low enough to allow larger animals such as deer to jump over but high enough to keep out the boars. It will cover fields and open land, leaving roads and path unblocked.

On the German side of the border, there is scepticism about how effective such a fence will be. Research has shown that the biggest risk of spreading ASF comes from contaminated equipment or discarded food.

Environmentalists have claimed the fence will disrupt the habitats of other wild animals, including wolves, otters and jackals. And at a time when Europe is debating the merits of borderless travel, erecting a physical barrier also sends a message. Denmark reinstituted border checks three years ago, and many other European countries including Germany have debated doing the same.

“Such a fence creates a visible border,” Martin Ellermann, mayor of the German border town of Harrislee, told the regional broadcaster NDR. Ellermann and other local leaders have appealed to the state premier, Daniel Günther, imploring him to consider its local impact.

Construction of the fence is expected to conclude later this year.

• This article was amended on 29 January 2019. An earlier version incorrectly stated that the fence will be electrified. This has been corrected.



