Danish farming agreement effectively dead, industry leader declares

The 2024 Green Tripartite Agreement on agricultural reform no longer exists in practice, the head of Denmark’s largest farming association said Saturday, citing new government measures that undermine the original deal.

Søren Søndergaard, chairman of Landbrug & Fødevarer, told Jyllands-Posten that the landmark agreement—once hailed as a historic overhaul of Danish farming and nature policy—has been rendered obsolete by subsequent political actions, including proposals in the new four-party coalition’s platform for a national pesticide ban and major changes to pig production.

“The original Green Tripartite Agreement from June 2024 no longer exists,” Søndergaard said. “We left the negotiating room in June 2024. Since then, the others have moved on.”

In a Saturday statement, Landbrug & Fødevarer doubled down on its criticism, noting that the ministry overseeing the agreement has been dismantled. “We must conclude that the tripartite deal we made now only exists on paper,” Søndergaard said. “The parties have moved forward, and the government we made the agreement with in June 2024 no longer exists.”

The organization stressed it still supports the original agreement but warned that a wave of new regulations has since imposed heavy burdens on the sector.

Nature and Animal Welfare Minister Christian Rabjerg Madsen (S) insisted in written remarks to Jyllands-Posten that “the new government has not altered the original agreement,” which he said “of course remains in force.”

The 2024 deal was brokered between Landbrug & Fødevarer, the Danish Society for Nature Conservation, and the then-SVM government.