Klimaminister Lars Aagaard (Conservative Party) is seeking to integrate more environmental solutions in the agricultural CO2 reduction negotiations. It will not only be about the agricultural CO2 emissions when the green tripartite begins negotiations on the upcoming CO2 tax for farmers. In a conversation with Politiken, Lars Aagaard mentions that he also wants to discuss the reduction of nitrogen emissions from agriculture. The minister suggests specifically that a significant part of agricultural land be converted into forest. “And one can choose to prioritize the land in places where a lot of nitrogen is currently being washed out.” “There will be a benefit in the long term for the climate, but also for nitrogen, if we buy the land and plant trees there,” Lars Aagaard told Politiken. He acknowledges at the same time that the purchase of agricultural land to plant 250,000 hectares of new forest could be a costly affair for the state. The possibility of compulsory acquisition of land, where farmers are forced to sell to the state, is also not ruled out.
Søren Søndergaard, chairman of the Agriculture & Food (industry organization), does not reject the idea of a double benefit by considering climate and water environment together. “But the technical and technical work with the water plans and reduction goals in the water catchment areas should be included in the agricultural agreement,” he says according to Politiken. The 250,000 hectares of forest amount to an area four times the size of Bornholm, a Danish island.