In late June 2025, Thai-Denmark Dairy Farm in Muak Lek marked a new milestone in Thai-Danish agricultural cooperation: a new calf of the Danish Red Cow race had been born, making her the first Danish Red Cow born in Thailand in decades.
Now, the Royal Danish Embassy in Thailand has announced something equally exciting: the calf will be named Danika, after the embassy held a competition for naming the new calf.
The competition event was made possible with support from VikingGenetics and gathered farmers, officials, and Danish partners including Novonesis and SKOV-SECCO. The collaboration highlights the role of long-term public-private partnerships between Denmark and Thailand, with contributions from the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, the Danish Agriculture and Food Council, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the Thai Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and the Department of Livestock Development.
The winning name was submitted by Wesarat Toomthong, who received first prize in the naming contest. The prize was sponsored by the Royal Danish Embassy and the Dairy Farming Promotion Organization of Thailand (DPO).
The Danish Red Cow is primarily a dairy breed, but is also used for meat once cows age out of the milk-producing years.
Historically, Danish Red Cows accounted for a large percentage of the Danish dairy population, reaching 61% in the 1960s.
However, with the introduction of higher-yielding breeds like Holsteins and Jerseys, their numbers have decreased.
Despite this, the breed is still important, with a significant population of registered pedigree cows. The breed is also recognized on the FAO’s endangered species list.
The second prize went to Tyge Snekloth Sondergaard, who grew up on the Thai-Danish Dairy Farm which was established by his father Gunnar Sondergaard.
Tyge Snekloth Sondergaard had suggested “Karoline” as the name. He was promised that the next Red Dane born at the farm will be named Karoline, and given a package of rewards related to the farm, which he could use on his next visit to the farm in Muak Lek.
