Four of Venstre’s 18 members of the Folketing say they will vote against the government’s new fertilizer law on Thursday, breaking with party leader Troels Lund Poulsen.
DR reports that the internal dispute in Venstre grew on Monday, when two more MPs said they would defy the party line. The vote concerns a new fertilizer law regulating agriculture’s use of fertilizer. It is scheduled in the Folketing on Thursday.
The conflict became public last week, when Venstre profile Søren Gade announced he would vote against his own party’s position. MP Amanda Heitmann then said the same. Two further MPs have now joined them.
One of them is Anni Matthiesen, a member of the Folketing for 15 years. She wrote to DR that this is the first time she votes against the party line, and that she regrets it. In this case, she said, she has to follow her own conviction.
Per Ritzau, as cited by DR, Preben Bang Henriksen is also among the Venstre politicians who will vote against the bill. That brings the total to four of Venstre’s 18 MPs. The proposal is registered in the Folketing as bill L5.
Party leader defends the line
Troels Lund Poulsen has stated his position clearly. Venstre as a party should vote in favor of the fertilizer law. He does not argue that the law is without problems.
His reasoning is that Venstre would place itself outside influence if it withdrew from the agreement. The party took part in negotiating that agreement itself. The law follows from the tripartite deal on agriculture and the green transition.
Writing on social media on Sunday, the Venstre leader said some in the party take a different view of the case. Those members believe Venstre should leave the tripartite agreement by voting against the bill now under consideration.
He added that he respects that view, but disagrees deeply with it. He also said he is sorry the debate is now being held in public. There is room for different opinions in the party, according to his post.
Leaving the tripartite agreement will not become Venstre policy under his leadership, he wrote. The statement was published the day before the two additional MPs declared their opposition.
The vote on Thursday will show how many of Venstre‘s MPs follow the leadership. As of Monday, the four named MPs are Søren Gade, Amanda Heitmann, Anni Matthiesen and Preben Bang Henriksen.
