Around 300 tractors rolled into Copenhagen on Tuesday morning as farmers demonstrated at Christiansborg against the Danish fertilizer law.
The organization Bæredygtigt Landbrug called the protest on Christiansborg Slotsplads for Tuesday morning, DR reports. It began at 9:30 a.m., with 300 tractors expected and more than 1,000 farmers and other participants arriving by bus.
The demonstration was timed to the Folketing’s second reading of the gødskningsloven, the fertilizer act. The law regulates agriculture’s use of fertilizer and is part of the Green Tripartite agreement.
Niels Hauge Mikkelsen, chairman of Bæredygtigt Landbrug, said the organization has long tried to raise public awareness of the technical problems in the legislation. According to him, more farmers and companies have now realized how severely the new nitrogen rules will land.
He said the group wants to press politicians to state whether they are ready to take responsibility for the decision. As stated by Mikkelsen, the consequences will be violent, and the mink case would look like a minor affair by comparison.
Dispute over nitrogen limits
Per Bæredygtigt Landbrug, the planned changes to nitrogen limits will affect 65 percent of Denmark’s cultivated area. The organization argues that food production, related industries and life in rural districts will all be weakened.
Mikkelsen said the decision will hollow out the economy in rural areas and destroy the livelihood of many people. He urged politicians to spend a few more days considering what they set in motion by voting in favor.
Lars Midtiby, director of Danmarks Naturfredningsforening, takes the opposite view. He said reducing agriculture’s nitrogen discharge is decisive for bringing life back to Danish fjords and coastal areas.
According to Midtiby, there is currently massive oxygen depletion in many places, and more areas are affected than last year. He pointed to occurrences of algae mats and fish deaths. A report from the Ministry of the Environment published in 2023 found the worst oxygen depletion in Danish waters in 20 years.
DR notes that the vote has created significant debate inside the agricultural sector. It has also caused friction in Venstre, where several politicians are going against the party line and voting against the law.
Police warn of slower morning traffic
Simon Hansen, deputy police inspector at Copenhagen Police, described the protest as a relatively large demonstration that will affect morning traffic. He said the convoy starts at three separate locations on Zealand before joining up on the way into the city.
The tractors were expected to enter Copenhagen via Folehaven and Gammel Køge Landevej at around 9 a.m., according to Hansen. He said traffic will most likely move more slowly during the demonstration.
Copenhagen Police urged drivers to proceed carefully and follow traffic updates, for example on the radio station P4. The force also suggested considering other forms of transport into the capital.
