Denmark-Germany's border wall logic is quite different from that of the US-Mexico border wall. The 42-mile fence in Denmark will keep out animals. Its purpose will be to prevent German wild boars from entering Denmark and thereby posing health hazards to their pig farms. Work has begun and the authorities including the environmental agency have approved the project. The reason is to protect Danish pigs against African swine fever (ASF). The disease has not struck either of the two countries but there are instances of its outbreak in Belgium, hence the precautionary measure.

The Guardian reports pigs and pork production are the pillars of Denmark’s economy and the country's population of pigs surpasses that of humans. There are nearly 12 million pigs spread across 3,000 farms and the country exports pigs and pork to earn revenue. Obviously, the Danes want to ensure the safety of their livestock.

There are objections to this wall

The general description of the wall indicates simplicity. It will be electrified for obvious reasons and will be of an appropriate height to allow free movement of animals other than the German wild boars.

It will be a 42-mile fence and while it will cover fields and open land, it will not disturb roads and path. The wall will be ready by the year-end. However, Germany is skeptical. It feels the major risk of spreading of this disease stems from “contaminated equipment or discarded food.”

The Guardian adds that a section of environmentalists believes such a barrier will have an adverse effect on the habitats of a wide range of animals.

There is also an argument that Europe is trying to promote the concept of borderless travel, and the physical barrier between Denmark and Germany goes against that line of thinking. Of course, Denmark has already brought back border checks and other European countries including Germany are considering similar action.

Denmark is worried about its pigs

According to Time, Denmark wants to keep the pigs safe from the highly contagious African swine fever that could play havoc with its $4.6 billion pork industry. There is no cure for the fever and it is fatal to pigs. Work on the $12 million fence has started and will complete by fall 2019. In the opinion of environmentalists, the electrified fence could pose dangers to endangered species of wildlife that fall prey to man-animal conflict. TheGerman agriculture minister harbors doubts about the usefulness and necessity of the fence. He says, “The virus spreads mainly through people – through animal transport, hunting trips, infected food.”
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