https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/denmark/denmark-introduces-military-service-for-women/

Denmark

Denmark introduces military service for women

Published 15 March 2024

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: Stigalenas/iStock

The conscription period is also extended from 4 to 11 months.

Denmark will introduce their conscription system to be based on “full gender equality”, which means that women will be included in military service. This reform is accompanied by an extension of the conscription period and an increase in the number of conscripts.

In today’s Denmark, only men are subject to conscription, while women have had the option of voluntary military service, even with the right to leave at will. Now the government is planning to introduce equal conscription, in which both sexes will participate on equal terms.

– Defending your country is one of the most honorable things you can do. That is why we are proposing full gender equality, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told Danish national broadcaster DR.

Denmark does not have a general conscription like Sweden, but men who turn 18 are instead included in a kind of “lottery system” in which some are selected. This has worked because there are so many volunteers. However, it may soon be necessary to draft those who do not want to serve, so this will apply to both men and women.

– This means that all young people – regardless of gender – must be called up on National Defense Day and perform their military service under the same conditions, she says.

Conscription period extended

In addition, the conscription period will be extended from four to eleven months and the number of conscripts will be increased from 4,700 to 5,000. The government will also increase the defense budget by DKK 40 billion (€5.4 billion) between 2024 and 2028, which means that Denmark will spend 2.4% of its GDP on defense.

Earlier this year, the government also abolished other rules regarding the requirements for military service. Previously, people with large breasts, deviant sexuality and those shorter than 155 centimeters were not allowed to serve – rules that have now been removed. There will also be no minimum or maximum BMI requirements for young people.

Norway and Sweden are the only countries in Europe to have introduced conscription for women at this stage, which they did in 2015 and 2018 respectively.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/denmark/new-research-on-the-bovaer-supplement-amid-a-wave-of-criticism/

Denmark

New research on the bovaer supplement amid a wave of criticism

The exaggerated climate crisis

Published yesterday 13:24

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: Tommie Hansen/CC BY 2.0

The Danish Animal Welfare organization argues that cows risk being excluded from grazing pastures due to bovaer.

Further research will be carried out on the highly controversial feed additive bovaer, researchers at Aarhus University in Denmark have confirmed. The decision is based on the widespread criticism of the methane-reducing additive.

From the beginning of the year, all Danish dairy farms with more than 50 cows must use methane-reducing supplements in their feed. This can be done by adding more fat to the feed or by using the new supplement bovaer for 80 days per year. Swedish Arla has recently faced harsh criticism for its use of bovaer, with many calling for a boycott of the company.

The decision has been welcomed by some dairy farmers, but also faced strong criticism, especially against the bovaer, from, among others, the Danish Dyrenes Beskyttelse.

– We don’t know how it will affect them in the long term. At the same time, cows risk being locked up in stables all year round because the effect of the substance is more uncertain when they go to pasture, the organization states.

“Focus on animal welfare”

Earlier this week, Danish farmers also protested against, among other things, climate taxes, but also the compulsion to use bovaer for their cows.

Due to the widespread criticism, more research is being planned on the impact of bovaer on the health of cows, as well as on the milk and meat of the animals that receive the supplement.

– In the trials we have done so far, the focus has been on the effect on methane, feed intake and milk yield. Therefore, we will focus on animal welfare in the trials we will do in the new year, and we also need new research that provides a better understanding of what happens in the cow’s rumen when we use Bovaer and other effective methane-reduced feed additives, he tells Danish tjekdet.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/denmark/danish-farmers-protest-against-climate-taxes-and-bovaer/

Denmark

Danish farmers protest against climate taxes and bovaer

The exaggerated climate crisis

Published yesterday 7:47

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: facsimile/DR

– I won't be feeding my cows with bovaer, that's for sure, says farmer Thorbjørn Thomsen

On Monday, Danish farmers protested against new climate taxes and rules that they say make farming in the country more difficult and worse. Among other things, the protests were directed against the criticized feed additive bovaer, which farmers are now forced to use to reduce methane emissions.

Last year, the Danish government agreed on a new climate agreement with the aim of making Denmark “green”. One of the targets is to reduce nitrogen emissions from agriculture by 13,780 tons per year, to be achieved through a carbon tax on farmers.

The No FFF demonstration, which stands for “No Food, No Farmers, No Future”, was organized in several Danish cities on Monday. Farmers drove their tractors to Aalborg, Kolding, Holstebro and Aarhus, among others.

The farmers are demanding the removal of all taxes and regulations that make it difficult to farm and raise animals in Denmark. They also want car and registration fees to be abolished, the green tripartite agreement to be stopped and no more solar parks to be built on agricultural land.

Demand for methane-reducing supplements

A significant part of the protests is directed against the much-criticized feed additive bovaer. Since January 1, all dairy farms in Denmark with more than 50 cows must use methane-reducing supplements in their feed.

– I won’t be feeding my cows with bovaer, that’s for sure, farmer Thorbjørn Thomsen told Danish state broadcaster DR.

Arla has recently faced strong criticism after boasting that it feeds British dairy cows the dietary supplement bovaer. Many Britons have called for a boycott of the company’s products and openly declared that they will not support a company that gives its animals what they consider to be experimental and unnatural supplements. In Sweden, too, criticism has been noticeable, and initiatives such as Mejerikollen have been launched to help consumers avoid dairy products containing bovaer.

Not wanting to restrict traffic

In several European countries, demonstrations against taxes and regulations on agriculture have taken place under the slogan No Farmers, No Food. However, the Danish demonstration is not supported by the major official agricultural organizations.

– We don’t want to be part of taking ordinary Danes hostage on this issue. There are some things we are not happy with, but we are not in favor of restricting traffic for that reason, says Torben Farum, vice president of the agricultural organization Agilix in Northern Jutland.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/denmark/reports-denmark-considers-increasing-us-control-over-greenland/

Denmark

Reports: Denmark considers increasing US control over Greenland

Published 12 January 2025

– By Editorial Staff

Montage. Photo: Palácio do Planalto/CC BY 2.0, Oliver Schauf

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's largest community Nuuk.

According to Axios, Denmark has contacted President-elect Donald Trump’s staff to discuss a possible expansion of the US military presence in Greenland.

According to insider sources, Copenhagen has also expressed a desire to avoid public conflict with Trump and sought clarification on his recent statements that Greenland should belong to the US.

Trump recently attracted attention when he suggested that the US should acquire the self-governing Arctic island from Denmark. He described the ownership of Greenland as an “absolute necessity” for US national security and would not rule out the use of military and economic pressure against Denmark to enforce his demands. However, the actual details of how his administration would try to convince Denmark to cede control of Greenland are scarce.

The Danish government has made it clear that Greenland is not for sale, but according to Axios, it has also signaled a willingness “to discuss any other US request regarding the island”.

The US has had a military presence in Greenland since World War II and still operates a military base in the northwestern part of the island under a defense agreement with Denmark. The agreement also allows the US to establish additional military facilities, and during the Cold War the island was an important location for US infrastructure to provide early warning of incoming ballistic missiles.

“For the the Greenlandic people”

Both Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenlandic leader Mute Egede have expressed opposition to Trump’s idea of buying the island. At the same time, Denmark’s Prime Minister confirmed earlier this week that she proposed negotiations with Trump’s staff with the aim of “strengthening the security of the Western alliance”.

Egede, in turn, has stressed Greenland’s commitment to independence but opened up to continued cooperation with the US.

– Greenland is for the Greenlandic people. We do not want to be Danish, we do not want to be American, he stated at a recent press conference, but also promised that the island will continue to cooperate with the US on security issues.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/denmark/danish-municipality-phases-out-turbo-chickens/

Denmark

Danish municipality phases out turbo chickens

Published 19 December 2024

– By Editorial Staff

Photo: iStock/Dany Kurniawan

In Aalborg, the city council has decided to phase out so-called turbo chickens, i.e. fast-growing hybrids bred in the food industry. This means that they will no longer be served in municipal canteens.

Turbo chickens grow to 50 times their original size in just one month before being slaughtered. Due to health concerns such as diseases, movement disorders and high mortality rates, there has long been an ethical debate about raising this type of chicken, especially in Sweden.

The municipality of Aalborg in Denmark has now decided to stop serving these fast-growing chickens in its canteens. The issue has been controversial, but the city council finally managed to reach a consensus. According to Daniel Nybo Andersen of the Danish Liberal Party, who proposed the phase-out, it is crucial that the change is not too costly for either citizens or the municipality.

– The consensus is that we can keep it within the budget, he told Danish state broadcaster DR.

However, Mikael Simonsen of the Liberal Alliance, who initially opposed the proposal, expressed doubts about whether the phase-out is economically sustainable.

– There is a reason why you produce turbo chickens. It’s because they’re cheaper, so I’ll certainly be keeping a close eye on it to make sure that it doesn’t become more expensive for citizens or the municipality, and that it doesn’t create more bureaucracy for employees, he says.

The poultry industry has previously been highlighted, including in Sweden, for significant shortcomings in animal welfare. Last year, severe misery was uncovered at a chicken factory owned by the company Kronfågel, where chickens were found eating each other, among other issues.

According to a December report by Djurens Rätt, Sweden’s largest animal welfare organization, one in four Swedish municipalities is ready to take advantage of this opportunity and eliminate turbo chickens from their next procurement.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Polaris of Enlightenment

Polaris of Enlightenment