Copenhagen, Denmark
May 5, 2009
The Danish government has just
launched a DKr 13.5 billion Green Growth plan that will ensure
better conditions for the country’s nature and environment while
allowing agriculture to develop. The plan represents a 50%
increase in investments compared with previous plans.
The government’s Green Growth plan was presented at a press
conference in Copenhagen on 30 April 2009 by
Minister for Food, Agriculture and
Fisheries Eva Kjer Hansen, Minister for Economic and
Business Affairs Lene Espersen, Minister for the Environment
Troels Lund Poulsen and Minister of Climate and Energy Connie
Hedegaard.
“With this Green Growth plan the Danish government has now
launched a long-term initiative that ensures good conditions for
a green Danish farming sector for many years,” says Food
Minister Eva Kjer Hansen. “The central aspect of the Green
Growth plan is that it combines agriculture, the environment and
nature in one policy. Economic growth, nature and the
environment presuppose each other - they are not in conflict
with each other.”
Energy in all farm animal manure must be used
The government’s Green Growth plan stipulates that 40% of farm
animal manure must be used for green energy in 2020 and that, in
time, all farm animal manure must be used as a source of energy.
Initiatives to reach targets include a fund for starting
investments in biogas and a biogas team to co-ordinate biogas
activities around the country.
“With the Green Growth plan’s aim of turning agriculture into a
supplier of manure for green energy we will be getting positive
effect from manure,” says Eva Kjer Hansen. “We will see growth,
because the farmer’s liquid manure will be turned into energy,
and at the same time the degassed liquid manure means a reduced
seepage of nutrients and lower evaporation of methane - both
benefiting the climate and the environment. In fact, this is a
win-win situation.”
Doubling the organic farming area
Denmark in recent years. With its organic farming initiative in
the Green Growth plan, the government will ensure that organic
farming continues to develop healthily in Denmark.
“Organic farming is Green Growth - a combination of green
production and production with a sound economy,” says Food
Minister Eva Kjer Hansen. “We are now makin it possible to
double the area used for organic production through a massive
effort amounting to almost DKr 350 million a year. This will
result in a greater Danish organic production of apples,
carrots, milk and salami, to name a few products. And this will
benefit consumers, exports, the environment, nature and animal
welfare.”
The Green Growth plan also aims at modernising and liberalising
the Danish farming legislation and giving farmers better
opportunities for growth, as well as making it easier for them
to raise capital.
“We will remove both the current limit on the number of animals
on a farm and the requirement that a farmer must have a certain
amount of land for the number of animals on his farm,” says Food
Minister Eva Kjer Hansen. A competitive agricultural sector
needs free reins to take advantage of the benefits of
large-scale operations and better opportunities for raising
capital. This is something Danish agriculture must have.”
Efficient organisation of research and development
In its Green Growth plan, the government aims at an efficient
organisation of agricultural research and development. Among
other things, this will occur through a green development and
demonstration programme where a number of single initiatives
will be gathered. At the same time, DKr 145 million per year
have been earmarked for green investments in Danish
agriculture.A considerable part of the Green Growth plan will be
financed through full transfer to Denmark of funds under the
EU's Rural Development Programme.
“Quality costs money therefore planning to make full use of the
funds made available by the ‘health check’ of the EU’s Common
Agriculture Policy. That will give DKr 1.7 billion a year.
Transferring EU funds to Denmark is a central source of finance
for the Green Growth plan. With the government’s initiative we
will transfer to Denmark all the Rural Development Programme
funds that are available in 2010-2013.” |
|
