Denmark lays the foundation for a green revolution
With a large majority, the Danish parliament recently passed a political framework agreement for a green Denmark, including measures to control water pollution.
The country’s pork sector has already established a climate protection strategy.
In June 2024, representatives of the Danish government and the agriculture and food sector, including the Danish Agriculture and Food Council, reached a groundbreaking agreement on a green Denmark. This has now been ratified by a large majority of the Danish parliament in the form of a political framework agreement, which also includes measures to control water pollution. “We were very pleased that the government and the other parties have included a guarantee for intercalibration in their scenario choices, which means that Swedish and German emissions are accounted for on an equal basis,” said Søren Søndergaard, Chairman of the Danish Agriculture & Food Council. This ensures that the same environmental objectives are pursued in shared waters.
“This issue has preoccupied us for many years and it has now been confirmed in a broadly based agreement,” added Søndergaard. Intercalibration is part of the EU’s Water Framework Directive (WRD) whose aim is to protect streams and lakes, transitional waters (mouths of rivers, lagoons), coastal waters and groundwater across the EU. Intercalibration will guarantee this, despite different analysis methods in the various EU Member States. “Replacing obsolete water protection measures and their malfunctions with new approaches to reduce bureaucracy and waiting times and launch new climate protection measures is a victory for nature, for the climate and for agriculture,” said Søren Søndergaard.
Promoting environmental protection objectives across the EU
The new political framework agreement paves the way for Denmark to organise water protection using nitrogen targets. However, in this respect, the Danish Agriculture & Food Council is in disagreement as the proposed targets are not in line with the EU’s environmental protection targets for Denmark’s coastal waters. Most of the nitrogen pollution in these waters derives from neighbouring countries. In the long term, however, Denmark will align with the EU Water Framework Directive on water pollution control and the intercalibration process. “According to the agreement, our plans for open waters must meet the environmental protection targets agreed by the EU by 2029 at the latest. Then we can concentrate on reducing nitrogen in the fjords, where Danish emissions have greater influence on water quality,” says Søren Søndergaard.
Danish livestock farmers and, in particular, the pork sector have already charted a course towards sustainability. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the industry’s prime focus will be on the efficient storage and use of pig manure. Experts are of the opinion that greenhouse gas emissions from pig production can be significantly reduced by frequent manure discharge from pig housing and by using manure in biogas plants.