A new organic farming plan, Økologiplan Danmark, will pave the way for compulsory co-operation between municipalities, regional authorities and ministries to further organic farming in Denmark.

The government wants to double the area of land dedicated to organic farming by 2020, and to this end, 400 million kroner is being invested in more than 60 initiatives.

Dan Jørgensen, the food and agriculture minister, said that closer co-operation in the public sector was key to making this a reality. “In order to reach our goals, which are the most ambitious in the West, the public sector needs to lead the way,” he said.

“In Økologiplan Danmark we strengthen the co-operation between municipalities, regional authorities and ministries with a long list of new initiatives. We are committing each other to having more organic products on the menu in canteens, hospitals and nurseries.”

Raising the bar
The armed forces Forsvar is one of the public institutions with plans to further the organic agenda. The Defence Ministry has set in motion a program to get more organic food into its canteens. The defence minister, Nicolai Wammen, said that this had the potential to make a big difference. “Each year about 1.1 million kilos of food is served in Forsvar’s canteens,” he said.

“There’s a big effect when we set requirements for organic and healthy food. Therefore I’m happy that with the action plan we are now raising the bar for organic farming considerably.”