A week after FMC Rønland announced it will close at the end of 2026, a local business owner in Harboøre says the online reaction to the news shows how far rural and urban Denmark have drifted apart.
Helle Langer, who owns the music venue 18b in Harboøre and lives in the town, told DR that social media has been filled with congratulations since the closure was made public. She has responded with a long post on Instagram describing a feeling of being left alone.
Langer said she becomes tired and sad reading the reactions. According to her, no one acts out of ill will, but she hopes people will look beyond their own surroundings and consider the landscape others live in.
The factory, the former Cheminova, is set to shut at the end of the year, with around 400 employees facing dismissal. Langer said the distance to larger cities has never been a problem for her, but she has begun to feel it over the past week.
She told DR that the closure makes clear how much harder it is to drive development and attract new residents in the area. She described people locally as already working on their knees, and said losing a plant with 400 jobs feels like being shot in the thighs. She also said things will work out, because that is how people in the region are.
Two SF ministers visited Høfde 42
Earlier on Monday, Pia Olsen Dyhr and Signe Munk of SF visited Høfde 42 to discuss the situation. Langer said a visit is always welcome, but that it will take weeks or months to judge whether it made any difference.
Signe Munk, minister for cities, rural districts and transport, said the visit already amounted to more than a wave. Per Munk, the government has activated the varslingspulje to help affected employees move on, and has offered extra funding for local welfare. She added that Monday’s talks focused heavily on new business opportunities at Rønland.
As reported by TV 2 on September 1, FMC plans to stop production and close the Rønland site on Harboøre Tange by the end of 2026. The company linked the decision to a strategy to optimize its global production structure. The closure affects around 400 jobs.
According to Limfjord Update, the decision follows a loss of 1.2 billion kroner in 2025. Fagbladet 3F reports that roughly 230 of those affected are hourly-paid workers and 3F members, including smiths and electricians.
