FMC Rønland closure deepens rural urban divide, local owner says

DR reports that Helle Langer, owner of the 18b music venue in Harboøre, fears the closure of FMC Rønland will widen the gap between rural communities and cities. Around 400 employees are expected to lose their jobs when the plant closes at the end of the year.

While many people have celebrated the closure on social media, Langer said the reactions had left her frustrated and sad.

“No one is doing it out of ill will, because that is how the landscape looks from their own small corner. But I wish they would dare to look up and see other people’s landscape too,” she said.

Langer said she had never previously regarded the distance to larger cities as a problem, but had begun to feel it during the past week.

“When FMC closes, it becomes clear that many things are more difficult out here, such as driving development and attracting new residents. Sometimes it can feel as if we are working on our knees, and when such a large factory with 400 jobs closes, it feels like being shot in the thighs,” she said.

She also expressed some optimism, saying things would work out because that was how people in the region were.

Ministers visit Høfde 42

Earlier in the day, Pia Olsen Dyhr and Signe Munk of the Socialist People’s Party visited Høfde 42 to discuss the situation.

“A visit is always welcome, but it does not change very much by itself. Only in a few weeks or months will we be able to determine whether it made a difference, or whether they just visited and waved,” Langer said.

Signe Munk, minister for urban, rural and transport affairs, said after the visit that the government had already done more than simply wave.

“The government has activated the redundancy fund to help employees move on. We have also offered additional funding for local welfare, and today we talked extensively about opportunities for new businesses at Rønland,” Munk said.

FMC Rønland was formerly known as Cheminova.