This graph tells the story of a Danish duck adventure that came to an abrupt halt.
DR-Inland in Denmark
Tuesday, November 10, 2026 • 11:32 AM UTC - in Denmark
The graph here tells the story of a Danish duck adventure that came to an abrupt end.
There is no prospect of the refrigerated counters being filled with Danish ducks again anytime soon.
The curve is clear evidence that the industry attempted a domestic duck slaughterhouse. The adventure, however, stopped abruptly. (Photo: © Graphics, Morten Fogde Christensen) 36 minutes ago.
If you sink your teeth into a lovely piece of duck for St. Martin's Eve tonight, it has hardly enjoyed the summer sun in Danish fields.
Instead, it has been transported here in a freezer truck.
The ducks in the supermarket are, to a large extent, slaughtered and transported from France, Hungary, China, or some other country entirely.
A duck slaughtered on Danish soil, on the other hand, is a rare sight.
- I think it's a shame, says Martin DÃ¥sbjerg, who has spent more or less his entire life with ducks.
VIDEO: In 2012, Martin DÃ¥sbjerg appeared in a segment from the TV News before Christmas, which was about the duck having outcompeted the roast pork. The video is a compilation.
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The adventure at the harbor
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Martin DÃ¥sbjerg has had ducks on his own farm, and he was also the man behind the company Dansk And, which opened a slaughterhouse in Struer in 2015.
As the graph shows, this caused the number of ducks slaughtered in Denmark to grow at lightning speed. In 2017, just over 580,000 ducks were slaughtered in Denmark.
- My customers complained that I drove 700 kilometers with our lovely ducks to Germany. The long transport was a burden. So we had to see if it was possible to set up a Danish slaughterhouse, says Martin DÃ¥sbjerg.
VIDEO: Martin DÃ¥sbjerg bought the slaughterhouse in Struer in 2014. The following year, the first ducks were slaughtered. The video is a compilation from the TV News.
The old pig slaughterhouse at the harbor in Struer was transformed into a duck slaughterhouse, and in the following years, almost all Danish ducks were slaughtered on the premises.
- In terms of duck products, it was some of the best happening on the entire planet, Martin DÃ¥sbjerg believes.
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The death blow came at Christmas
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But: The higher you fly, the harder you fall. Also for ducks.
As the graph reveals, the adventure in Struer came to an end, and last year only about 39,000 ducks were slaughtered in this country.
With the end of the duck slaughterhouse, most of the opportunities to get ducks slaughtered on Danish soil disappeared, explains Jørgen Nyberg Larsen, sector chief at the Danish Agriculture & Food Council.
- It went downhill, and then many of the producers closed down. What we have left today are a few producers with much smaller flocks.
Death, as we know, must have a cause, and Martin DÃ¥sbjerg is in no doubt about it.
- We were killed off, he believes.
On December 17, 2019, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration visited the duck slaughterhouse, and shortly after, one could read in Ekstra Bladet that employees did not wash their hands after lunch.
It turned out, however, that the administration had overlooked that the employees washed their hands at a different sink than the one they were monitoring.
The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration had to apologize for the error in 2020, but stuck to criticism points that duck feces was found on two out of 100 slaughtered ducks.
- That shitty case was opened up one week before Christmas. 90 percent of the ducks were sold in the last week before Christmas, says Martin DÃ¥sbjerg.
The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration has not wished to comment for this article.
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Cruising altitude in Flensburg
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Even though the number of Danish-slaughtered ducks is currently at a low level, Jørgen Nyberg Larsen from the Danish Agriculture & Food Council states that he will not be too pessimistic.
However, he does not believe the industry will take off again in Denmark.
Because even though it is not "in" to transport your animals far for slaughter, the duck can be a troublesome bird.
It needs large, open fields.
- This undeniably creates problems with wild birds coming in, and it can very easily spread bird flu, says Jørgen Nyberg Larsen.
His conclusion is therefore that it would really require some dedicated enthusiasts.
Someone who is passionate about it, like Martin DÃ¥sbjerg was, and actually still is.
He believes there could be an opening if one joins forces with a duck slaughterhouse near Flensburg.
- I do see some possibilities for such a slaughterhouse opening up, says Martin DÃ¥sbjerg.
VIDEO: If you have reached the bottom of this article, there should also be a reward. In 2017, Martin DÃ¥sbjerg told in the food magazine how to find the best duck in the refrigerated counter.
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