Dairy farmer Niels Martin Krag has voted for Venstre at every general election since 1988. He now says he would vote for the Danmarksdemokraterne instead, after the party backed the fertilizer law L5.
Krag milks 450 cows and farms around 550 hectares of land near Højer in Southern Jutland. In an interview published on September 18, DR reported that he no longer feels represented by the party he has backed for 38 years.
He cast his first ballot at the 1988 general election and marked it for Venstre. He has done the same at every general election since, according to DR. If there were an election tomorrow, list V would not get his vote.
Krag told DR that the party has chosen to turn its back on its old roots. He pointed to August, when Venstre voted in favor of the fertilizer law L5. The law tightens the limits on how much farmers may fertilize their fields.
Per DR, that vote was the final straw for the dairy producer. He also said party leader Troels Lund Poulsen has distanced himself from agriculture. Krag described it as an attempt to court voters in the cities, and said the approach has apparently not worked.
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Unrest in the countryside
DR reported that Krag is not the only farmer who feels Venstre no longer speaks for him. Jens Wistoft is a farmer and chairman of Venstre’s local voter association in Aabenraa Municipality. He acknowledged that there is unrest because of the fertilizer law.
Wistoft described L5 as difficult material that creates uncertainty in rural areas, as reported by DR. He said he still intends to vote for his own party.
At Christiansborg, Venstre’s political spokesperson Sophie Løhde rejected the claim that the party has abandoned agriculture. She told DR that Venstre is a conservative, liberal party for Danes, whether they live in the cities or in the countryside. She said the party will continue to be that.
According to DR, Venstre has lost three out of ten voters since the general election in March. The figure is measured against the party’s result at that election. Krag said the Danmarksdemokraterne would receive his vote if an election were held today.
The fertilizer law was adopted in August 2026 and sets stricter limits on fertilizer use on Danish fields. DR’s report focuses on how the rules have landed among farmers in Southern Jutland, including voters who have backed Venstre for decades.
