The Streamlined Pig

Did you know that (in 1951) almost a quarter of Danes work in agriculture and that there are almost as many pigs as there are people? This is thanks largely to their American cousins who, under the Marshall plan, have been sending enough pig fodder to fuel the ever expanding porcine population. Using science and sensible farming, the pigs are bred, fed and then turned into bacon for exporting and using a mix of rudimentary animation and some oinking archive, we are shown some of the techniques used to bring these squealing creatures into the world before rearing them for agriculture on skimmed milk and course fodder like beets and old potatoes across over 208,000 sties! This is not a watch for those sensitive to the plight of animals, indeed there is something of the caged-hen approach to this mass scale breeding programme that even to a bacon lover is a little distasteful. A bit of genetic manipulation has also been employed, ensuring the bulk of the meat heads to the rear of the animal and there are even shows for the best pig prize. This is quite a quickly paced short feature that is more like an extended news piece illustrating just how these beasts are quite literally and uniformly "manufactured" for our breakfasts and for over 30% of the nation's exports. Even the trotters get used!