Danish fruit farmer, Finn Brix-Mikkelsen is from Aalestrup. He is the only remaining fruit grower in the Vesthimmerland region. This is a stretch of land in the north of Denmark. Here, more than 20 fruit companies were once active.
This year, Finn has about 20 tons of apples left from a harvest of 240 tons. There is nothing wrong with the fruit. For lack of a better alternative, he is using the surplus as compost for his orchards.
“Prices are so low that it is no longer attractive for me to sell the apples," says Brix-Mikkelsen. “There is simply too much overseas competition. In Poland and Spain, for example, wages are lower. Pesticides and water are cheaper too."
Two out of three apples in Danish supermarkets come from abroad. This is according to the Danish Horticultural Association, Dansk Gartnerforening.
New figures from the Ministry of Food show that 700,000 tons of foodstuffs are discarded annually. In more than half of the cases, this happens before the food even reaches the consumer. The Danish government, therefore, wants to promote Danish fruit sales in the supermarket.
Source: www.tv2nord.dk