Venstre says it will vote in favor of the new fertilizer law, despite open dissent inside its parliamentary group. The party’s speaker of the Folketing, Søren Gade, has said he will vote no.
Venstre’s group chairman, Morten Dahlin, gave the assurance to reporters on Thursday after a meeting of the party’s parliamentary group. According to Avisen Danmark, which carried the Ritzau report, Dahlin said the party stands by the agreements it has made and by the green tripartite deal.
The fertilizer law, known in Danish as gødskningsloven, is one element of the green tripartite agreement. That deal was negotiated under the then SVM government, with Venstre among the parties behind it. Its aim is to reduce nitrogen runoff from farmland into the marine environment.
Ahead of the vote on the specific bill, attention has turned to the costs for Danish vegetable growers. Several economic experts have told Berlingske that domestic producers risk large extra bills, which could make Danish vegetable production more expensive.
That challenge prompted Gade, a party veteran and the current speaker of the Folketing, to break with the party line. His position became public on Wednesday, when he confirmed it to the regional outlet TV Midtvest. The broadcaster had obtained an email in which Gade informed his local party organization in West Jutland of the decision.
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In the email, Gade wrote that he was very sorry about the situation. He said he could not support a bill he considered unwise and without a factual basis, and which in his view undermines farmers and rural districts.
Dahlin rejects the criticism
Dahlin said he does not agree with Gade’s description of the bill. Venstre does not support legislation that is unwise, the group chairman told reporters. Asked whether the party can be trusted when political agreements are made, he answered that it can.
Another Venstre member of the Folketing, Peter Juel-Jensen, has also said he is undecided on whether to vote yes or no. He had no comments after Thursday’s group meeting, according to the Ritzau report.
Dahlin and Thomas Danielsen, deputy chairman of Venstre’s parliamentary group, both said on Thursday that the party as a whole will vote for the agreement. Neither would say how many members intend to vote no in person. Dahlin said internal discussions in the group stay in the group.
Venstre’s leader, Troels Lund Poulsen, and deputy leader Stephanie Lose declined to speak to the press after the meeting. As economy minister at the time, Lose played a central role in the green tripartite agreement. Ritzau reported that it was seeking a comment from Gade, who did not attend Thursday’s group meeting.
