Ecologists: Regulations and controls are contributing to suffocating small farms

We need to improve the conditions for small-scale producers. That is the message from the Organic Association, in connection with the fact that 29 organic farms across the country have just held the annual Organic Harvest Market. According to the association, the smaller host farms are subject to a set of rules written with large industrial farms in mind. Specifically, the association wants the government, as part of the promised food strategy, to take a blank sheet of paper and write a completely new set of regulations for small-scale producers. "We need more locally produced organic food – not less. We know that the government also wants this. And we know from organic producers that consumers are increasingly interested in shopping at farm shops. Unfortunately, rules and control are barriers for more people to get started. Therefore, we urge the government to include in its food strategy that a separate and targeted regulation should be formulated based on the characteristics of small-scale producers," says the association's director, Rasmus Prehn, in a press release. "The rules impose a significant administrative burden on small producers. We want recognition of small farms that handle everything from production to sales in farm shops as an independent group within the food industry. We believe that the small farms should no longer be suffocated by rules and controls designed for others," elaborates Rasmus Prehn, who was at the Organic Harvest Market at Lille Østergaard near Brønderslev on Saturday. Can create more success stories He was there, among other things, to highlight the importance of supporting small producers and farm shops, which together generate only 600 million DKK annually. That number could be much higher if conditions were improved for those who run their businesses in a slightly different way, he believes. "Lille Østergaard has held the Organic Harvest Market for 30 years and has found its own way in this. By making the rules simpler, we can create more success stories and increase diversity in our agriculture, which can deliver much of what we are crying out for today: generational change in agriculture, more local and Danish products, and greater vegetable production," says Rasmus Prehn, adding: "It is also important to give small-scale producers better access to public procurement. As it is today, it is far too bureaucratic and complicated for a public buyer to purchase locally. It is crucial that this is changed if we are to succeed in ensuring this diversity in our production."