Farmer fears nitrogen limits could threaten his farm’s survival
Monday 28th September 2026 on 20:45 in
Denmark
A farmer on North Funen fears new nitrogen limits could undermine his family’s livelihood, DR reports. The final limits are due to be published at midnight, giving farmers details of how much fertiliser they can use from 2027.
Martin Knudsen, 35, runs a 400-hectare farm with his father, including 330 hectares of crops such as wheat, malting barley and rapeseed. In the worst-case scenario, he says, they may no longer be able to produce their goods if large areas of land have to be taken out of use.
Much of the farm drains directly into Odense Fjord, which is already affected by oxygen depletion and poor environmental conditions. Knudsen expects the new rules to hit his farm hard and says he may have to stop cultivating some of his land to meet his nitrogen quota.
From Tuesday, farmers will be able to enter their fields into an online calculator run by the Agency for Green Land Use and Aquatic Environment. It will show the amount of nitrogen fertiliser each farmer may use. The limits depend on the fields’ locations, with the strictest rules applying to land near vulnerable fjords and coastal waters.
Farmers who do not want to cut fertiliser use may have to change how their land is used, for example by taking fields out of production, planting forests or creating wetlands.
Knudsen supports the goal of improving water quality and the climate, but says the rules are being introduced too quickly. He also says he cannot assess the proposed compensation and transition support, of up to 1.9 billion kroner, until he knows what the rules mean for his farm. He expects a possible pesticide-free zone on his property in the next phase to add to the impact.
The limits are part of a new fertiliser law and the Green Tripartite Agreement, which sets a cap on agricultural nitrogen emissions. Nature and Animal Welfare Minister Christian Rabjerg Madsen called the new model Denmark’s most ambitious reduction in nitrogen emissions and said it was essential to restore life in the country’s fjords and along its coasts.