Sharp criticism of agricultural oversight

The Danish State Auditors have issued stern criticism of the Food Ministry’s oversight of agricultural nitrogen emissions from fertilizers, calling the control inadequate and insufficient. They warn that poor oversight risks undetected nitrogen overuse, threatening water quality and increasing the risk of oxygen depletion in bodies of water. According to the Ministry of the Environment, nitrogen run-off from agriculture is the main cause of such depletion. A political majority set a goal in 2021 to reduce agricultural nitrogen emissions by over 20% by 2027. The Danish Society for Nature Conservation, part of the green tripartite agreement, insists this critique should heavily influence ongoing political negotiations. Statsrevisorerne’s report identifies a reliance on self-reporting by farmers, with only 3.7% being audited from 2019 to 2022, revealing 35% had nitrogen overuse. The newly appointed Minister for Green Tripartite, Jeppe Bruus, acknowledges the seriousness of these findings and promises future tripartite agreements will consider this feedback.