Denmark
May 28, 2009
Climate Consortium Denmark, the
Danish Agricultural Council, and
Novozymes bring
agriculture's contribution to solutions for the climate
challenge into focus. The aim is to highlight the role that
Denmark's strong competencies in biotechnology can play for the
agricultural sector.
In the run-up to COP15 this strategic partnership will highlight
the modern and efficient agricultural production practices.
The Danish Agricultural Council and Novozymes have a concrete
goal, to develop a vision jointly for how the use of
biotechnological solutions can make both agriculture and the
food industry more effective and sustainable. The partnership
also includes Climate Consortium Denmark, which aims to increase
the visibility of Danish solutions and competencies for both
climate and energy as well as to raise international awareness
of the common efforts through various activities.
Finn Mortensen, Executive Director of Climate Consortium
Denmark, underlines the importance of Danish Agricultural
Council and Novozymes now forming a united front to focus on
Denmark’s food industry and the future opportunities to be found
in biotechnology. "Denmark is a world leader within bioenergy,
and we have shown over the last decades that by thinking both
long term and green we can produce CO2-free energy."
Great potential
Biotechnology is already providing solutions for agriculture.
One example is enzymes for animal feed. If all the pigs in
Europe were given feed supplemented with these enzymes, their
digestion would be improved to such an extent that CO2 emissions
in Europe would be reduced by 4 million tons per year. Other
enzymes enable the prevention of oxygen depletion in lakes and
rivers that is currently caused by the leaching of phosphorus
from manure.
Novozymes is also working to develop microorganisms and
environmentally efficient technologies for maximizing the energy
yield from agricultural manure for the production of
electricity, heat, and transport as well as high-quality
fertilizer. In Denmark we convert less than 5% of agricultural
manure into energy in the form of biogas. Of this 5%, only 50%
of the available energy is utilized. The Danish Board of
Technology estimates that if the entire energy content of the
manure was utilized, it would supply 25% of the energy
requirements of the transport sector.
According to Nickie Spile, Vice President of Region Europe,
Novozymes, agriculture and biotechnology are in many ways two
sides of the same coin. “Both take nature as their starting
point and both use biological principles and processes to
produce food, feed, energy, and various biomaterials in a
sustainable fashion," she says. "By combining these two, we can
realize the great potential to make the world more sustainable."
Claus Søgaard-Richter, Director General, Danish Agricultural
Council, also sees great opportunities in the coming
partnership. "By combining the strengths of both agriculture and
the food industry with biotechnology, Denmark can continue to
produce quality food products that meet the needs of the society
while reducing climate change and environmental impact. We are
talking about solutions to the very real and current global
challenges," he says.
The results will be presented at COP15 this December
The starting point for the partnership is May 27 in Copenhagen,
where the Danish Agricultural Council together with IFAP, the
International Federation of agriculture Producers, will host a
global climate summit, Climate Change – Farmers' Solutions.
Subsequently, a wide range of experts, researchers,
international food producers, and decision-makers will help to
develop the vision that will be presented at the UN Climate
Conference in Copenhagen this December, COP15, as the Danish
food industry’s recommendation concerning more efficient and
climate-friendly production of food. |
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