New fertiliser limits leave Danish farmer fearing empty barns

A North Jutland farmer says new fertiliser limits could make it difficult to grow enough feed for his cattle, and may leave him with empty barns. DR reports that Malthe Holst, who runs a farm with about 900 cattle near Vrejlev Monastery, spent much of the night trying to understand the rules.

At midnight, farmers were told how much fertiliser they may spread on their fields in 2027. Holst said he gave up trying to work out what the rules meant for his farm and contacted his agricultural adviser in the morning.

The adviser told him his farm would face very restrictive limits because the nearest sea, the Skagerrak, is classified as extremely vulnerable. The rules vary according to where a farmer’s fields are located, with the tightest limits applying to land near vulnerable fjords and marine areas affected by oxygen depletion.

Farmers can use an online calculator from the Agency for Green Land Use and Water Environment to enter their fields and see how much nitrogen they may use from 2027. If they do not want to reduce fertiliser use, they must change how their land is used, for example by taking fields out of production, planting forest or creating wetlands.

Holst said he supports adapting farming to help the marine environment, but believes the timetable is too short. He said his farm may not be able to grow enough feed for its animals, leaving him to find another source or keep some barns empty.

The new limits follow a fertiliser law passed earlier this month. The parties behind the agreement say stricter rules are necessary to protect the strained marine environment and have set aside about 1.9 billion kroner to compensate farmers for adapting.