Future agricultural support will reward results – not hectares

The debate article was originally published in Jyllands-Posten on October 14th. By Ellen Emilie, spokesperson for animal welfare, food, climate, and environment (Moderates), and Sybille Kyed, head of agricultural and food policy at the Organic Association. Every year, Danish agriculture receives around 7 billion DKK in EU support. But far too many of these funds are still allocated based on how much land each farmer controls, rather than the value the agriculture creates for society. We need to change that. Future agricultural support should reward farmers for the results they achieve for the climate, nature, water environment, and animal welfare – not just for the number of hectares. At the same time, we should give farmers greater freedom to find their own solutions and ensure that green transition and economic success go hand in hand. This is a fundamental breakthrough in European agricultural policy. And with ongoing EU negotiations on agricultural support, we have a historic opportunity to make this a reality. We should not just aim for more green agriculture with the money. We need to create a support system where farmers' economic success and society’s green ambitions move in the same direction. A clear ambition in the government’s platform The government’s platform sets a clear goal that agricultural support should increasingly reward concrete green results rather than traditional hectare-based support. It’s not just about making agricultural support greener. It’s also about giving farmers more freedom to find the solutions that work best on their farms. Instead of controlling through ever more detailed rules and support schemes, we should set clear goals and reward the results delivered. This is both a greener and a more modern way to conduct agricultural policy. Ten organizations, including the Organic Association, have proposed a concrete model for how such a system could look. The starting point is simple: Farmers who create public goods such as cleaner drinking water, reduced climate impact, richer nature, and better animal welfare should be rewarded for it. Because these benefits benefit the entire society. Therefore, we cannot leave the financing of the green transition solely to consumers who can afford and want to pay more for their food. We need to challenge the idea that green transition and a competitive agriculture are opposites. On the contrary, the green transition should be an economic opportunity for farmers and a foundation for the future of the food industry. Supporting small farms too Both large and small farms should be able to contribute and be rewarded for their results. We should also look at how future support schemes can better support the specific contributions that smaller farms can make to nature management, biodiversity, local food production, and vibrant rural areas. And support schemes must naturally not favor the largest farms. Today, for example, technological support can be difficult for smaller farms to access. The agriculture sector, politicians, and society face a major shared task to create a new and better future for Danish farming. Agricultural support provides a solid foundation, which should be supplemented by many other initiatives, many of which should be clearly advanced through the upcoming Food Strategy 2027. Right now, we have a historic opportunity to rethink how we support Danish agriculture. Not just by shifting money between old schemes, but by changing the very principle behind the support. We should reward results rather than hectares. Give farmers more freedom and fewer unnecessary rules. And ensure that the green transition goes hand in hand with a strong, competitive food industry. This is also how we can meet both the government’s and the EU’s goals for more organic farming. This is the ambition we must bring to the EU negotiations. And this is how we lay the groundwork for Danish agriculture to lead Europe’s green transition.