Permit delays leave Danish vegetable farms without drought water

Farmers on Samsø say lengthy permit procedures are threatening their ability to grow Danish fruit and vegetables as drought becomes more frequent, DR reports. Hester Callaghan, who runs the organic farm Yduns Have, says her potato crop is already suffering from a lack of water.

Callaghan and her husband have run the farm since 2018, seeking to grow as much Danish fruit and produce as possible. But the farm has been hit hard by drought.

“We have had three periods of drought in nine years, including this spring and summer. So we need access to more water. It is absolutely crucial,” Callaghan said.

The proposed solution is to clean out and expand an existing pond by at least 25 per cent. Making the pond deeper and larger would allow heavy winter rainfall to be collected, stored and used for irrigation in the following growing season, without extracting water from groundwater reserves.

The farm’s application was submitted to the authorities in October last year. Ten months later, the owners had still received no answer. They hope to begin the work this autumn so that winter rainfall can be used in 2027.

“There is no point in getting a permit only in March next year. If we do not get better irrigation options, we will either have to accept poorer quality from the same quantity of vegetables, or we will have to reduce production,” Callaghan said.

In an old barn, she showed how many of the farm’s organic potatoes had been discarded because of the drought and lack of water.

“We are currently seeing quite a lot of waste in our potatoes because we cannot irrigate them properly. But this could potentially affect everything we grow, from lettuce to strawberries,” she said.

Elsewhere on the island, vegetable grower Jens Christian Kjeldahl has waited a year and a half for an answer on whether he can build another rainwater pond.

“When there is a political goal of producing more Danish fruit and vegetables, it is important to have water for irrigation. Without it, we cannot produce good quality and achieve a profitable yield. We quickly lose out to imported goods,” Kjeldahl said.

He wants to store drainage and rainwater to secure stable production of onions, potatoes, pears and apples in a climate that is becoming more extreme. But the long processing time has made the application “a tiring process”, he said.

Climate research shows that Denmark is facing wetter winters and drier summers. Experts highlight the collection of surface water and rainwater in ponds as an example of climate adaptation because it reduces reliance on groundwater during critical summer months.

SEGES Innovation, the agriculture sector’s central knowledge centre, says it recognises the bureaucratic delays. Senior consultant Søren Kolind is calling on politicians to acknowledge that faster approval of rainwater ponds is essential to preparing Danish agriculture for climate change.

“This is part of the climate adaptation that is necessary because of the climate changes we are facing. The legislation must match that situation,” he said. “If we want to secure Danish vegetable production, we need to be able to obtain more water for irrigating fields.”

Kolind said he is currently in contact with at least 20 farmers who are having problems obtaining permission to build rainwater ponds.

Velas, Denmark’s largest agricultural adviser, also supports the call for stronger and more flexible cooperation between farmers, advisers and municipalities to prevent the green transition and food production from becoming stuck in administrative backlogs.

Responsibility for permits on Samsø lies with Aarhus Municipality under an agreement on municipal cooperation. Stine Elmholt Andersen, a civil engineer in Aarhus Municipality’s Technical and Environmental Department, said the cases were complex and required several different permits.

These could include a water extraction permit, a rural zone permit or an exemption from Section 3 of the Nature Protection Act.

“These are cases we prioritise highly. But we cannot avoid assessing these different issues and whether a permit can be granted,” Andersen said.

DR asked Minister for Urban, Rural and Housing Affairs Signe Munk of the Socialist People’s Party whether lengthy processing times for rainwater ponds were compatible with the ambition to produce more Danish fruit and vegetables. She was unavailable for an interview.

In a written response, Munk said she understood the frustration when an application takes a long time. She noted that municipalities are responsible for rural zone permits and said it was important for municipalities and applicants to remain in dialogue, provide the necessary information and process cases without undue delay.

“I have confidence that this succeeds in the vast majority of cases,” she said.