Greta Thunberg Slams Danish Animal Farming Policies

Climate activist Greta Thunberg has slammed Denmark’s “catastrophic” animal agriculture industry and the government’s weak policies to reduce its environmental impact.

The Danish government is set to begin negotiations on a deal – named Grøn Trepart – that will determine the country’s environmental and agricultural policies for years to come.

But Thunberg and activists from Denmark’s Green Youth Movement say the government must strengthen the deal’s policies regarding animal agriculture. They want meat producers to pay a higher tax on greenhouse gas emissions than is currently proposed. They have also criticized the meat industry for saying it will invest in techo-fixes for its emissions that will likely entrench intensive animal farming.

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“Still time to save it”

Earlier this year, Denmark became the first country in the world to agree on a tax for agricultural emissions. The tax will come into force in 2030. From that date, farmers will need to pay 120 krone (around $17) per metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalents they produce. This amount will increase to 300 krone ($43) by 2035. But activists say this is not enough and is being brought in too late.

pigs in pens — Alastair Philip Wiper-VIEW / Alamy Stock Photo Pigs in holding pens at a slaughterhouse owned by Danish Crown, a major meat producer in Denmark

In an Instagram post, Thunberg says there is still time to save the deal so it actually protects the environment and the climate. She urges activists to pile pressure on Danish political parties to improve the deal’s agricultural policies, in particular to raise the emissions tax on animal farming.

There must be “a reduction and complete transformation” of Denmark’s animal agriculture industry, she says.

A quarter of Denmark’s emissions come from agriculture. The country farms about 200 million animals a year and is a major producer of meat from pigs and cows, the latter being particularly carbon intensive.

The Danish government is trying to encourage people to eat less meat, having published a pioneering roadmap towards a plant-based food system in 2023.