A leading Danish businessman says Danish agriculture is missing out on opportunities if it doesn’t become more sustainable soon. According to the CEO of the Carlsberg Brewery, more and more global raw material suppliers are already switching, and Danish farmers will soon miss the boat. Sustainability organizations are reacting with surprise and rejection.
Carlsberg CEO Jacob-Aarup Andersen stressed that more and more suppliers of agricultural raw materials such as barley and hops are switching to sustainable and regenerative farming methods. “If Danish farmers do not follow this trend, we will be forced to source our raw materials elsewhere, which could have negative consequences for the local agricultural sector.”
In concrete terms, Carlsberg has already decided that 30 percent of its raw materials will come from regenerative agriculture by 2030. In 2040, this should be 100 percent. The CEO suggested that Danish farmers do not contribute enough to green initiatives. These statements caused outrage among agricultural organizations. They accuse the brewery of holding on to its own profit and shifting responsibility to farmers.
This discussion comes at a time when steps are being taken within the agricultural sector to promote sustainability. An example of this is the DLG group that is actively pursuing regenerative agricultural practices.
DLG Group recently announced that they have signed the first contracts with farmers for such regenerative agricultural projects. Initially, these are agreements for 100 hectares of malting barley, which is grown according to regenerative principles such as minimal tillage, no use of insecticides and less use of commercial fertilizers.
According to DLG, these developments are in stark contrast to the criticism of Carlsberg's CEO, who, according to many farmers, paints too one-sided a picture. The concerns of the Carlsberg CEO also come at a time when the Danish agricultural sector is under financial pressure. Last year, the sector generated considerably less turnover. According to the latest figures, the turnover of Danish agriculture fell by 8 percent.