Agriculture group leader: Venstre no longer serves farmers

The head of the interest organisation Bæredygtigt Landbrug has said that Venstre is no longer a party for farmers, warning that it is on the verge of a split, according to Danish broadcaster DR.

Niels Hauge Mikkelsen, chairman of Bæredygtigt Landbrug, told P1 Morgen that the party’s leadership is oriented toward urban voters while its grassroots still represent rural interests. He described the leadership as “djøffere” — a Danish term for public-sector administrators and lawyers — while the base is made up of independent business owners.

Mikkelsen’s comments follow a series of events that have strained the traditional bond between Venstre and agriculture. Earlier, party leader Troels Lund Poulsen announced support for a national ban on pesticide spraying, reversing a previous position. A former party leader, Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, also said in a new book that agriculture had taken up too much space in Venstre during his time as chairman, calling the influence “too large and too one-sided.”

Mikkelsen acknowledged that it is fair to argue agriculture dominates the party, but criticised what he called a shift toward populism to attract more voters.

Søren Smalbro, a Venstre mayor in Hjørring Municipality and a farmer himself, disagreed. He said Venstre remains a party for all liberal-minded people and can represent both urban and rural interests. He admitted the party failed to communicate its policies well during the last general election, which resulted in its worst ever result and no seats in the Copenhagen area.

DR said the party leadership at Christiansborg declined to comment.