At precisely 17:02 on 16 June 2009, visitor number 100,000 stepped through the doors at Danish Crown in Horsens. It was a group of visitors from the Danish Plant Directorate who got more than they bargained for when they visited the slaughterhouse as employees from the customer service department were ready to receive them.

We have been looking forward to this group for some time, but no one ever expected such an overwhelming level of interest in the slaughterhouse. Since the facility opened, we have had 25,000 visitors a year, and nothing suggests that this average is falling. There is still a 12-month waiting list if you want to visit in the evening, and just over four months for day visitors, says Visitor Manager Agnete Poulsen from Danish Crown in Horsens.

The distribution of visitors to the slaughterhouses varies greatly. Danish Crown’s owners, customers and consumers normally account for many of the visitors, but at the moment we are seeing a lot of students, especially from the technical colleges.