FMC to close Cheminova factory employing more than 400

FMC Corporation, the American owner of the Cheminova factory in western Jutland, has decided to close the plant after several years of losses running into billions of kroner, DR reports.

The factory, located on Harboøre Tange beside the Limfjord, mainly produces agricultural pesticides and employs more than 400 people. It is by far the largest private employer in Lemvig Municipality.

Lemvig Mayor Jens Lønberg called the closure a “shell shock” for the municipality and said it was a dark day for the area.

“Many hundreds of jobs in such a sparsely populated area as this is massive. My thoughts go directly to the employees and the families who have depended on Cheminova,” he said.

Lønberg said he would work to create new jobs in the municipality and called for government support.

Anders G. Christensen, chairman of the Central Denmark Region, described the closure as sad news. Steffen Damsgaard, chairman of the Council for Rural Areas and a resident of Lemvig, called it a catastrophe for the region and urged the government to fund new investments that could create jobs.

Decades of pollution

Cheminova’s history also includes extensive pollution. Toxic waste has leaked from the company’s factories and storage sites into the local environment over decades, causing pollution that could create problems for several generations.

Work is still under way to clean up pollution at Høfde 42, a coastal location where Cheminova buried barrels of chemical waste in an underground depot. Investigating and cleaning up the pollution is expected to cost at least 50 million kroner and often substantially more.

Mercury and other toxic chemicals have repeatedly been found in the soil, sea and fish in the area. Researchers have also concluded that residents living near the factory face an increased risk of cancer.

In 2024, DR reported that large quantities of polluted wastewater were still being pumped from Cheminova into the North Sea.

Fatal explosion in Germany

Cheminova has also faced scrutiny over a 2021 explosion at a German facility. A tank containing waste from the factory exploded, killing seven people and injuring 31.

Cheminova has been accused of sharing responsibility for the explosion. Financial claims against the company have since exceeded two billion kroner in total.

According to Radio IIII, German authorities are also investigating Cheminova and a named employee at the factory in connection with the incident.