Water consumers should foot the bill for a national pesticide ban, says mayor

Water consumers should pay the cost of compensating farmers if Denmark introduces a national pesticide ban, according to a proposal reported by Danish public broadcaster DR. The suggestion comes from Mikael Klitgaard, the Venstre (Liberal) party mayor of Brønderslev municipality.

Klitgaard proposes that water utilities lease farmland taken out of pesticide use, paying farmers around 3,000 Danish kroner per hectare per year. The cost would then be passed on to water consumers through their utility bills.

“We have discussed this in our local tripartite group, which I sit on, with local farmers among others. Our proposal is that water utilities lease the land from farmers for an amount of, for example, 3,000 kroner per hectare per year. That way the land can be kept free of pesticides,” Klitgaard said.

He acknowledged that the expense would ultimately fall on ordinary water users. “If water utilities lease land, the cost ends up with those who use water — and that includes farmers themselves,” he said.

The proposal follows a significant policy shift by Venstre, Denmark’s main liberal party. Party leader Troels Lund Poulsen announced at a press conference over the weekend that Venstre now supports a national pesticide ban — a reversal of the party’s previous position.

“I have reflected on the election result, and I think it is now necessary to achieve a national pesticide ban,” Poulsen said. The party had faced criticism during the election campaign for not doing enough to protect clean drinking water.