More than one thousand Danish growers have requested to switch to organic production, according to figures from the Danish Ministry of Food and Environment. “The organic production is rapidly growing in Denmark, and Danish supermarkets are ahead of the rest of the world in selling organic products. I’m happy so many growers want to make the switch. This means the export of organic Danish products will increase, and that will be good for the general prosperity of Denmark,” says minister Jakob Elleman-Jensen. For 2018, the Danish growers requested a total of 38 million euro in subsidies for a total area of about 36,500 hectares.
Challenges
Professional association Landbrug & Fødevarer is positive about this development, but thinks there are still problems to be overcome. “The biggest challenge for the growers isn’t the availability of land, but the production itself. Organic growers can’t use artificial fertiliser, and they’re dependent on animal manure from non-organic farms. Part of the new organic growers have their companies in eastern Denmark, and their manure has to be transported great distances. They’ll have to experiment with various types and with crop rotation to prevent becoming dependent on animal manure,” says Han Erik Jørgensen of Landbrug & Fødevarer.
Source: www.maskinbladet.dk