- Flowers and Bees in Denmark.
- A very viral post on Facebook, recently claimed that, in Denmark, “a law obliges owners of large agricultural lands to cultivate 5% of their land with flowering plants to protect bees”. This sounds amazingly enlightened, even for a Scandinavian country. The actual truth is slightly different, but no less enlightened and amazing. See the post below.
- It is an option, but not a requirement, according to the Danish Ministry of Environment and Food.
- It is also interesting to note that European farmers can receive a subsidy called a “Green Direct Payment” when they adopt, or maintain, farming practices that help achieve the EU’s environmental and climate objectives.
- “Is anyone in Washington D.C. reading this or, indeed, paying attention?”
Flowers and bees in Denmark can trigger a grant. In order to receive this grant, farmers must adhere to three mandatory ecological practices: diversify their crops to strengthen soils, maintain permanent grasslands to support carbon sequestration and protect biodiversity, and, finally, dedicate 5% of their land in areas beneficial for biodiversity, if their land is more than 15 hectares. It can be fallow land as well as hedges, trees, or flower beds.
In Denmark, the area of fallow land on which mixtures of flowers have been developed remains “relatively small” within the total number of areas declared to be of ecological interest, according to the press service of the Danish Ministry of the Environment. To remedy this, the kingdom’s agricultural agency is trying to “inform and inspire Danish farmers about the possibility of more pollinator-friendly options.
Flowers and bees……Amazingly enlightened!
