New nitrogen law threatens Danish vegetable production

A proposed nitrogen regulation could force onion grower Valdemar Clausen to shut down his production, DR reports, as criticism of Nature and Animal Welfare Minister Christian Rabjerg Madsen grows.

Clausen, who grows onions near Søndersø on North Funen, says he has spent seven years building his business. His onions are currently sold at a local Rema 1000 supermarket, but he fears Danish consumers could instead rely on vegetables transported from other countries.

The criticism of the law has grown in recent weeks, with large organic farms including Kiselgården in Central Zealand and Månsson in Central Jutland among those raising concerns. On Wednesday evening, Venstre politician Søren Gade also said he intends to vote against his party’s position when Parliament votes on the bill next week.

The growers’ concerns centre on the Green Tripartite agreement, which from January will set a fixed limit on the amount of nitrogen that may be released from each field.

Vegetable growers are particularly affected because vegetables are harvested while they are still growing, leaving more nitrogen in the soil than crops such as grain, according to the article. Hanne Lakkenborg Kristensen, a professor at Aarhus University who researches sustainable production of vegetables, fruit and berries, says the calculation model was designed for major agricultural crops such as grain and has not been properly tested against knowledge about vegetables.

She says the rules would place a significant financial burden on vegetable producers.

Higher costs for growers

Preliminary calculations from the Danish Organic Association indicate that for every hectare used to grow vegetables, between two and six hectares without vegetables would have to be set aside and fertilised as fallow land.

For Clausen, the current proposal appears to mean setting aside five fields for every field used to grow onions. To continue producing onions on 16 hectares, he says he would need between 70 and 80 hectares of fallow fields. His own calculations suggest that maintaining his current production could cost up to 500,000 kroner more if the regulation is implemented.

He says the final cost could be higher because growers do not yet know the full scope of the new nitrogen rules.

“It is devastating for vegetable production, and it does not fit at all with the ambition to have more Danish fruit and vegetables,” Clausen says.

Clausen says vegetable growers should also contribute to improving Denmark’s water environment, but argues that the actual nitrogen runoff from vegetables must first be established and that effective measures to limit it must be identified. He fears that more vegetable production will move abroad if the rules take effect.

Minister rejects exemptions

Rabjerg Madsen rejects the idea of exempting vegetable producers from the new regulation.

He says an exemption would create a strong incentive for farmers to stop growing wheat and switch to vegetables, undermining the planned nitrogen reductions. He also refers to Vejle Fjord, where he says there are still no fish.

Instead of granting an exemption, the minister plans to ask an expert committee to review the scientific basis for regulating vegetable production. He says he hopes the review could lead to more lenient rules for vegetables.