Organic farmer calls Danish green tech subsidies 'absurd'

An organic farmer in Denmark is criticizing the country's subsidy system for green technology, calling it "absurd." Nanna Thomsen, who manages Lerbjerggård farm, argues that the current system unfairly disadvantages organic producers compared to their conventional counterparts.

Thomsen explained that while a conventional crop farmer can receive a 40% subsidy for investing in a weeding robot, an organic vegetable farm like hers receives zero support for acquiring the exact same technology. This disparity, she contends, undermines the goals of green transition in agriculture.

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A conventional farmer can get 40 percent in subsidy for a weeding robot. But if we on our organic vegetable farm want to invest in precisely the same technology, we can get zero kroner.

"If we are serious about the green transition in agriculture, the support should follow the technology's effect – not the production method," wrote Thomsen and policy advisor Andreas Stokkendal in a commentary for Berlingske. They believe that the 180 million Danish kroner allocated for green technology subsidies in the autumn pool should be distributed based on environmental benefit rather than farming type.

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If we mean it seriously when we talk about green transition in agriculture, the support should follow the technology's effect – not the production form.