Bad news for Danish rainbow trout farmers. New law expected to enter into force on 1 January.
In a statement on Denmarks’ government site, Environment Minister Lea Wermelin (Social Democracy) has announced that she is putting forward two new bills that will put “an end to the expansion of marine production.” This also means a focus on moving production towards land-based facilties.
Rainbow trout constitutes around 60 per-cent of Denmark’s total aquaculture production. Wermelin said that the “aquatic environment is in crisis and the sea should not be a dustbin”.
“The aquatic environment is cramped in several places, but with the right technology that is constantly improving, environmentally friendly fish can be farmed in land-based fish farms, focusing on both purification and recycling of water. This is the path we should take, instead of expanding marine farming at risk to the aquatic environment,” said Lea Wermelin.
The new bills also consist of implementing an “action plan” which contains a number of initiatives to tighten up the industry and “ensure more effective monitoring” of fish farms.
The Environment Minister announced last year that there would be no room for more fish farms in Danish waters than the 19 currently in the country, adding that the future of fish farming is land-based.
The two bills are expected to enter into force on 1 January.
