...
Land like Kristians' is crucial for the municipality's climate goals: 'It's wrong if I have to go bankrupt on that basis' | India | DR In Aalborg Municipality, councilor calls for a CO2 tax on climate-damaging agricultural land. Of 18 of his 48 years, Kristian Olesen has spent on building his farm with 210 dairy cows southeast of Aalborg. In recent years, however, he has become more and more worried about the future for agriculture on a total of 325 .280 of them are so-called low-lying soils that emit a lot, and that type of soil the municipality would like to take out of operation.- This will mean that I can not continue with the operation I have today. If I only have 40-45 left, I can not make a living from it, he explains. - The problem is that we have an animal production where we are dependent on being able to breed the animals' feed in the fields, from which we also run the manure. Last week, a new plan was launched for - for Danish companies, but agriculture is still kept free. In Aalborg Municipality, Councilor for Climate and Environment Per Clausen (EL) hopes, however, that - for agriculture, but we will return to that. For the vast majority of municipalities, Aalborg Municipality is part of the climate project DK2020, where the municipalities commit to their emissions and present action plans for how it should happen. As the municipality in the country with the most lowland soil - namely 11,525 - the climate-damaging areas therefore play a role in Aalborg Municipality's efforts. In addition to having the most lowland soil, Aalborg Municipality also has the country's by far largest emitter, namely the cement factory Aalborg Portland.- If not we come home with what is about low-lying soil, then it is almost impossible for us to solve the challenge we face, says Per Clausen (EL), who is councilor for Climate and Environment. The ambition is therefore that about 9,000 to 10,000 lowland soils are taken out of operation in the municipality. An ambition that also speaks directly into agriculture, which an almost unanimous Folketing adopted in October last year. Here the ambition is to take 100,000 agricultural soils on lowlands by 2030. Of the 100,000 There is funding to put about half under water. So far, support has been provided to withdraw a total of 4,769 through the three schemes specifically targeted at the purpose. However, none of those fields are actually under water today. At the same time, there is no guarantee that those projects will actually be implemented as well. So Aalborg Municipality's efforts play a big role at the national level. However, Per Clausen is cautiously optimistic. The municipalities already have experience of making nature and environmental projects such as wetlands, but at the same time he calls for more tools to be on the table. - If the municipalities are not given the opportunity to play a more active role, we will not reach our goal , he says. For example, Per Clausen would like to set up a land fund, which the municipalities can use to buy agricultural land, either to take out of operation or offer the landowners in a land distribution, which can best be described as a puzzle where farmers in a For Kristian Olesen, the tools that Per Clausen is calling for would not, however, make him give up his low-lying soils. he had to exchange his land for something else, he had to drive so far with and those he harvests from the field that it could not pay off. A financial compensation for the lands he is also not interested in at the present end terms. For today he can only get compensation for the lands that are taken out of operation, so therefore he will be left with the entire production apparatus such as the stables and small 50 lands, which would be impossible to sell at a price so he could get out with the skin on my nose.- Somewhere I'm open enough, because it's not because it's a family farm through ten generations, I have, he says.- But I just have a hard time seeing how we financially must reach the finish line so I can get out and start something up again. Kristian Olesen has not yet heard from Aalborg Municipality about the possibilities for set aside his land. farmers do not find the opportunities, they can just reject the municipalities' approaches. In Aalborg Municipality, Per Clausen believes that it will be difficult to achieve the ambitions solely through volunteering. Therefore, he also believes that may end up in a situation where they have to look on completely duck re tools if lowland soil is to be taken out of agricultural production in earnest. And then we're back to the question of the levies. one should consider whether one should introduce a special - on the cultivation of lowland soils, and in that way give an extra economy to get something done about this, he says. But if you impose a tax on lowland soils, then you do their soil less worth? - Either we find a solution to this by volunteering in cooperation with agricultural organizations with the current rules, but if it turns out to be impossible, then we have to discuss what we can do to push whether in the process.- Whether it will be more carrot or more whip, I should not be able to say - I think it will be a combination, he says.A solution where introduced - on low-lying soil, however, will be "lice", thinks Kristian Olesen. Then he might as well declare himself, because he would neither be able to sell the land nor get a sufficiently large compensation: - I think it is wrong if I have to go bankrupt on that basis. That it should cost my life's work. It is unknowingly that I have been put in this situation. In agriculture, food and fisheries, Rasmus Prehn (S) believes that the talk of laying on lowland soil is too early to take. has set up an expert committee to investigate how - can come into play in agriculture.- When we have started it and there is only a little half a year until they come up with this, then I think we should wait to hear what they have to say before we sit down and have a lot of opinions on what is the right thing to do, he says. At the same time, however, Rasmus Prehn also acknowledges that it may be necessary to take tougher measures if If we can see that we are lagging behind in relation to the time horizon we have set the Danes in view, then we must see what we can do to speed it up, he says.