Farmers threaten lawsuits over temporary pig-production halt

Landbrug & Fødevarer, an agricultural interest group, has warned that farmers may sue over the government’s temporary halt on permits for new pig farms. The warning came in a consultation response reported by DR.

“If the change to the regulation goes ahead, a number of lawsuits seeking compensation for financial losses caused by the rules should be expected,” the group said.

Christian Fink Hansen, the group’s director for the pig sector, said the government should assess the economic impact of the measure. Without that assessment, he said, the debate would rest on an uncertain and unclear basis. The group would prefer the government to withdraw the proposal and reconsider it, he said.

The one-year halt covers permits for new conventional pig farms and expansions of existing facilities. The consultation period ended on Wednesday. The regulation is due to take effect on October 26, but the measure has been applied in practice to applications submitted since September 23, when Nature and Animal Welfare Minister Christian Rabjerg Madsen announced it.

Several experts have questioned whether the minister has legal authority to impose the halt. Two experts in administrative and environmental law told Information they believed he could not immediately stop permits, while a third said the minister had acted lawfully. Landbrug & Fødevarer also argues that the measure lacks a legal basis.

The minister has rejected those concerns, saying he relies on assessments by lawyers in his ministry and the Ministry of Justice. The government’s June policy agreement said the halt would be introduced through legislation. Instead, Madsen introduced it through a regulation, which does not require parliamentary approval.

The government says it is waiting for clarity on future production rules following the establishment of a four-party pig group on September 30.