The 70 kilometre long and 1.5 metre tall fence is expected to be completed sometime this year and will run the length of the border between Germany and Denmark.
Construction began on Monday morning in Padborg, Denmark, around 15 kilometres west of the German town of Flensburg. The fence will only be interrupted in 20 spots along the border to let traffic through.
The Danes are hoping to contain the African swine fever epidemic by erecting the controversial steel fence.
The project, which some thought to be an April fool’s joke at first, has been criticised by animal rights activists who argue that it destroys the natural habitat of many other animals, such as the wolf.
