Although slightly less organic food is being produced, the largest organic export ever has been reported, according to Landbrug & Fødevarer.
The main Danish exports remain dairy products and meat. Additionally, in 2023 vegetables, fruit, and eggs were also exported. Furthermore, L&F reports that the export of organic beverages—especially plant-based drinks—rose by 39 percent.
The key export markets were, besides Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands, distant markets such as China and the US. To the largest market, Germany, organic products worth 1.7 billion DKK were exported, nearly half of the total export.
The share of organic farms and organic area in Denmark declined again last year. The total organic area shrank from 11.7% to 11.4% of the production area, while the number of organic farms fell for the second consecutive year.
This development is described as worrying by the organic sector, especially now that the Danish government has set ambitious goals to double organic production by 2030. The decline in organic farming is symptomatic of broader ecological problems in Denmark.
The country is struggling with worsening nature quality, with the water in many fjords suffering greatly from nitrogen pollution. The water in almost all coastal areas is in poor ecological condition due to nitrogen runoff. Scientists state that agriculture is a major cause of these problems. Denmark will likely, like the Netherlands, be unable to meet tightened European water quality standards by 2027.
This situation has led to growing awareness in Danish politics and broader society that urgent action is needed to protect nature, the environment, and the climate. This recently resulted in a groundbreaking agricultural agreement, which includes the introduction of a CO2 tax on agriculture and livestock farming (which already exists for industry).
Notably, even most national agricultural umbrella organizations agreed to reduce agricultural land by about ten percent and undertake large-scale afforestation of released agricultural land. The recent Danish tripartite agricultural agreement, where farmers, government, business, and environmental organizations jointly developed a vision for the agricultural future, is internationally praised as an example of effective collaboration.
Like the Netherlands, Denmark has an intensive agricultural sector, a heavy reliance on food exports, and still faces significant nitrogen problems. Although the Netherlands has slightly less agricultural land (just over half of the country’s surface, compared to nearly two-thirds in Denmark), the challenges in both countries are similar: poor water quality and great pressure on the quality of natural areas.
Where farmers’ protests dominated and blocked nitrogen discussions for years in the Netherlands, relatively little resistance has emerged in Denmark so far against a phased transition in agriculture.