Experts Warn Controversial Danish Fertilizer Law Could Bring Huge Financial Consequences and a Wave of Lawsuits

Denmark is preparing to approve a fertilizer law that legal experts say could give the state unusually broad powers over the country's farmers. Their assessment recalls the exceptional interventions and state authority used during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Folketing is expected to adopt the proposal this week. The law would have far-reaching consequences for Danish agricultural businesses, according to two of the country's leading legal experts. They also warn that the measure could conflict with both the Danish Constitution and Denmark's international obligations.

That possibility could open the way to a large number of lawsuits. The dispute is therefore not limited to the farming sector. If the law creates legal challenges with major financial implications, the consequences could extend well beyond the businesses directly covered by it.

The proposal has become part of a wider debate over how far the state should be able to intervene in agriculture. Its expected passage has prompted comparisons with the coronavirus era, when the government exercised extraordinary powers in response to an emergency.