Northern farmers call for pause in Green Tripartite talks

Farmers in northern Denmark want to pause work on local Green Tripartite agreements because of uncertainty over future agricultural rules, DR reports.

Agillix and Fjordland, two farmers’ associations covering North Jutland and the Lemvig and Skive areas, say they need clarity on rules including nitrogen emissions before entering into more local agreements.

“We cannot make long-term decisions under these conditions. Therefore, the tripartite process must be paused,” said Carl Christian Pedersen, chairman of Agillix.

The Green Tripartite Agreement was reached in 2024. Under it, agriculture agreed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, cut nitrogen emissions and convert farmland into nature.

Farmers have since become concerned about the new government’s positions on fertiliser and pesticides. Pedersen said the government’s programme indicated that new legislation would be added to the tasks already covered by the agreement.

“We have moved so far away from the original agreement that we need a pause,” he said. “We cannot sit at the table if we do not know what the future holds for us as farmers.”

Denmark is divided into 23 local tripartite areas. Agillix and Fjordland are involved in local negotiations covering Northern Kattegat and Skagerrak, Mariager Fjord and Limfjorden. The municipalities, the Nature Agency and the Danish Society for Nature Conservation also take part.

Thorkild Kjeldsen of the Danish Society for Nature Conservation, who is involved in the Limfjorden local tripartite process, said he understood the farmers’ frustration.

“The local agreements are based on voluntary participation, so as a landowner you need to know what you are agreeing to,” he said.

Kjeldsen said farmers had acted constructively in the negotiations so far and that politicians owed them clarity on future rules for nitrogen and pesticides.

“A great deal of legislative work has been on hold while we have not had a government. I can understand that farmers need some clarification,” he said.

Pedersen stressed that farmers still support the Green Tripartite Agreement.

“We still see great potential in the work. It is therefore crucial that the framework for food producers is clarified again,” he said.