Denmark is echoing Donald Trump and has said it will build a 43.5 mile fence on its border with Germany to keep out wild boars that may be carrying a deadly infection.
Although no cases of African swine fever have yet been detected in Denmark, there are concerns the fever could pose a risk to the country’s large pork industry.
The spread of the disease in eastern Europe is causing significant problems as there is currently no vaccine against it.
African swine fever is harmless to humans and other animals but for wild boar and farm pigs, the disease is deadly in almost all cases within 10 days.
Minister for Food and the Environment Esben Lunde Larsen said they did not want to take any risks.
“If African swine fever virus broke out in Denmark, all exports to third countries would immediately stop,” Mr Larsen said, according sources in denmark.
Denmark’s pig exports amount to 33 billion Danish krone (£3.85bn) per year. An outbreak of the disease in Denmark would shut down the entire industry.
The disease currently exists in Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and has recently moved closer to Denmark, according to the government.
