The organic production area in Denmark decreased by two percent last year. The organic area now covers 11.4 percent of the total agricultural area. This is the second consecutive year of decline for the Danish organic production sector.
The number of certified organic farms also fell last year. There is still some moderate growth in surrounding countries. This raises questions about the Danish government's strategy, given its ambitions to double the organic area by 2030 at the latest.
The production of organic milk has also decreased, from 728 million kilos to 691 million. That is a decrease of five percent for organic milk, while milk production generally remained unchanged. Organic milk makes up about 12 percent of the total milk production in Denmark.
The demand for organic meat also decreased last year for the third consecutive year. Until then, sales of this type of organic meat had increased almost continuously since 2010. Organic food has been on average 6 percent more expensive than non-organic in recent years.
Experts point to several economic causes with falling prices for organic agricultural products and declining demand. Some Danish farmers are even switching back to conventional cultivation because of the higher yields.
Organic farmers in several EU countries are sounding the alarm. Prices for their organic agricultural products are falling and in some countries the share of organic agriculture fell by 6 percent. With this trend, this sector will reach a maximum of fifteen percent in 2030, much less than the target figure of the EU.