Denmark is set to radically overhaul its drinking water policy as part of a raft of sweeping reforms to the country’s livestock industry.In a nation with more pigs per capita than anywhere else in the world, animal welfare and nitrates pollution dominated public debate as millions headed to the polls in March for what was widely dubbed the “pig election”.After months of coalition talks, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s newly formed government last week committed to scrapping its agriculture ministry, imposing a temporary ban on intensive pig farming, and giving communities the power to block new pig farms.
Water is also high on the agenda: the new government has pledged to slash legal limits on nitrate concentrations in drinking water by nearly 90 percent, a first in the EU. Scientists say that cutting back these chemical compounds — caused by pollution from intensive farming — could significantly reduce the number of people experiencing bowel cancer in the country.
Experts and campaigners have celebrated the new government’s decision — arguing that the EU-wide threshold should also be cut to avoid long-term health effects.But the new reforms – which reduce nitrate levels from the EU-mandated limit of 50mg per litre to 6mg – are already facing major backlash from pork industry lobby groups in Denmark, which have threatened to take the government to court over the changes, and are holding a “crisis” meeting next week.
