Opinion piece by Karen Bladt, Chair of Business Center Bornholm and Bornholm’s Business Council, and Christa Lodahl, Head of Business at Business Center Bornholm.
See the post at Bornholms Tidende here.
Bornholm's agriculture is facing major changes
We must be able to set requirements for industry without casting suspicion on the people who go to work every day and have to put the transition into practice.
The debate about agriculture is important. We all need to relate to nature, the aquatic environment and the green transition, and action must be taken on the challenges facing our society.
However, the tone has become harsh and unforgiving, and agriculture is spoken of as if society would rather be without the industry. That worries us.
Agriculture must adapt, just like other sectors. But adaptation will only be sustainable if it is carried out with professionalism, predictability and respect for those who have to put it into practice.
Part of the local community
On Bornholm, agriculture is an important part of our local community.
Farmers are our neighbours, customers, suppliers, colleagues and fellow citizens. We meet in everyday life, our children go to school together, and our businesses are closely linked. Around every farm there is a long chain of jobs and businesses that depend on activity in the industry. This applies to machinery stations, tradespeople, transport companies, advisors, suppliers, the slaughterhouse, the dairy, workshops and many others.
We must look after our agriculture and the people behind it.
There are people behind!
Behind words such as nitrogen emissions, regulation and fertiliser legislation stand people.
People who get on with their work every morning – many 365 days a year. They have invested their savings, working lives and often generations of history in their businesses. They produce food, create jobs and help ensure that there is activity and life in our local communities.
They have run their businesses within the frameworks and rules that we as a society have laid down. When the frameworks change, we must therefore also take responsibility for ensuring that the transition can be carried out in a proper and realistic manner.
We owe that to the people whose businesses and livelihoods are affected.
Especially on Bornholm
This is especially true on Bornholm, where distances are short, relationships are close and the consequences of major changes are quickly felt throughout society.
In a local community like ours, we have a special responsibility for the way we speak about one another.
We must not make the farmer the villain in the story of the green transition. That creates division at a time when we need cooperation and trust.
Requirements must be able to be made of agriculture, and there must be room for criticism. Agriculture, like any other industry, has a responsibility to develop and reduce its impact.
However, there is a difference between discussing a business's environmental impact and casting suspicion on the people who work in it.
We don't all have to agree, but we ought to acknowledge each other's reality and speak to one another properly, even when our interests differ.
We are one local community. Therefore, we must look after nature, look after our businesses – and look after each other.
For further information, please contact:
Karen Bladt, chairman of Business Center Bornholm, tel. 40 61 92 07, email: kb@hasle-refractories.com
Christa Lodahl, Head of Business, Business Center Bornholm, tel. 30 21 28, email: cl@bornholm.biz