Organic Farming
Denmark has the highest market share of organic products in the world. And the market is growing, with dairy products, eggs, oatmeal, wheat flour and carrots as the most popular items on the shopping list of Danish organic consumers.
An increasing number of organic products are sold in Denmark. Proportionally, the organic market in Denmark is the biggest in the world, with organic food making up 8 percent of the total food market.
The Danes prefer organic dairy products, eggs, oatmeal, wheat flour and carrots. One in three litres of milk bought by Danish consumers is organic and every other litre of milk consumed by pupils in Danish schools carries the red organic label. The production of organic eggs accounts for 17 percent of total egg production. Also consumers’ appetite for organic fruit and vegetables has grown; organic fruit and vegetables have increased their share of the total food consumption from 19 percent in 2006 to 23 percent in 2010. The market share of organic meat, however, remains relatively low.
Import and export
Consumer demand for a broad range of organic products has resulted in Danish imports of organic products exceeding exports. Organic exports consist of dairy products, pig meat, grain and animal feed. Germany is by far the largest export market, followed by Sweden, France and the UK. Danish imports consist of organic fruit and vegetables, grain and animal feed from other EU countries, in particular the Netherlands, Germany and Italy.
Approx. 7 percent of the Danish land area is used for organic farming and the Government’s aim is to reach 15 percent organically farmed land area by 2020.