Is Denmark’s EU Presidency A New Dawn for the Plant-Based Transition?

As Denmark kicks off its EU Council presidency, it is spearheading efforts to shift the bloc towards a plant-based food system.

For years now, diplomacy has thwarted the EU’s climate ambitions, whether that’s to do with redirecting agricultural subsidies towards low-emission foods, or creating a framework to aid protein diversification.

But change is afoot, and Denmark’s turn to take the rotating presidency of the European Council could serve as the much-needed reset. A green economy leader, the Nordic country is leading the EU’s lawmaking arm until the end of the year, and has laid out a plan to move the region’s food system in a future-friendly direction.

As part of its climate strategy, Denmark had promoted meat reduction in favour of plants in its updated dietary guidelines and established a $96M fund to advance the plant-based sector back in 2021, and became the first country to create a national plan for plant-based foods two years later.

These measures were followed by the landmark Green Deal in 2024, which convened government and industry groups to impose the world’s first carbon tax on meat and dairy farming, devise a $6B plan to buy land from farmers and convert it into forest, and add another $60M to the plant-based fund until 2030 (which could potentially reach $142M).

While Denmark was leading the way, the EU had been facing calls to set out its own plant-based strategy and encourage protein diversification. It caused controversy and the likelihood of such a plan being formalised remained uncertain, until now.

“European protein supply is vital for the development of plant-based foods, raw materials for the livestock sector, and the diversification of supply sources. It is also an important element in the transition towards a more sustainable food system,” reads Denmark’s programme for the presidency.

“The presidency will focus on the potential of a common EU action plan for plant-based foods and a common EU protein strategy,” it adds.

Denmark’s presidency could unlock EU’s plant-based ambitions

Agriculture is responsible for 11% of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions, and 81-86% of these come from livestock. That’s despite animal-based foods only providing 35% of calories and 65% of proteins in the region. The European Environment Agency has suggested alternative proteins (which include plant-based foods) are inevitable for safeguarding food security in the EU.

In last year’s Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture report, stakeholders – from farmer lobby groups to climate activists – advised the EU Commission to transition to a more sustainable agrifood sector and create an EU-wide action plan for plant-based foods.

That call was backed by doctors, consumer groups and food industry giants, but the Commission’s agrifood vision, unveiled in February, ignored it. Experts labelled it as “the death” of its Farm to Fork strategy, the failure to deliver on which has led to heavy criticism.

Soon after, though, Christophe Hansen, the agricultural commissioner, pledged to create a protein diversification strategy to address the EU’s protein supply challenges. With Denmark at the Council’s helm, that effort could finally come to fruition.

It will draw inspiration from Denmark’s own plant-based strategy, and be supported by two events this autumn. The presidency will host a conference on plant-based foods in September, as well as a Plant Food Summit for “policy inspiration” a month later.

“Denmark is the country with the largest animal production per capita in the world. Yet, the country has successfully adopted groundbreaking policies paving the way for more plant-based foods,” the summit’s website reads. “The Plant Food Summit is integrating this very focus in all of its programme in the hopes to share valuable experiences for stakeholders across the European continent to be inspired from.”

The Danish presidency will also address the EU’s Common Agriculture Policy (CAP), 82% of whose subsidies go towards livestock farming. In fact, meat and dairy production receives four times more EU money than plant-based agriculture.

“The future CAP must support rural development, organic farming, generational renewal, and animal welfare, while ensuring greater coherence with sectoral legislation, including climate and environmental regulations,” its programme states.

Danish groups support presidency with diplomacy effort

Advancing Denmark’s advocacy for sustainable food systems is a new coalition of trade groups and non-profits, which aims to inspire the EU and its member states to “pursue ambitious political action, building on the Danish action plan and its accompanying funding”.

“We clearly see how political initiatives and targeted business support can generate growth and innovation in the sector. The Danish action plan and the state fund of 1.3 billion kroner have given our members a significant boost – support we would also like to see across the rest of Europe,” said Stella Staunstrup, secretary general of the Plant-Based Business Association.

The organisation has joined forces with the Vegetarian Society of Denmark, the Danish Food and Drink Federation, the Danish Chamber of Commerce, the Danish Agriculture & Food Council and others to kickstart what they call “Danish Plant-Based Diplomacy”.

The initiative will promote active dialogue across Europe, with a focus on sending small Danish delegations to parliaments and embassies and participating in networking events and roundtable discussions. The hope is to create business opportunities and the right framework to shape the future of food.

“We see Danish Plant-Based Diplomacy as a strong platform for developing plant-based production while also supporting the continued green transition of animal-based agriculture. In a world where demand for nutritious and sustainably produced food is growing, this is not a matter of either-or, but of both-and,” explained Christian Høegh-Andersen, vice chair of the Danish Agriculture & Food Council.

A blueprint for a plant-based food system

Last month, over 70 civil society organisations unveiled a blueprint at the EU Parliament outlining measures to unlock the full potential of the plant-based value chain. They called on the EU to include plant-based food in national CAP plans, reward environmental achievements, and facilitate financial access for farmers.

The EU Commission was asked to update public procurement rules and the school scheme to include healthy plant-based products, and encourage member states to align their dietary guidelines with both health and sustainability aspects. Greater investment in R&D and policies to incentivise greater accessibility and affordability of plant-based foods were also key recommendations.

“Increasing the consumption and production of plant-based foods is part of the solution to many challenges the EU agrifood sector faces, including health, biodiversity, climate and food security – in line with the EU’s One Health approach,” the document stated.

“At the same time, innovating and investing in plant-based foods could position the EU as a global leader in competitive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems and provide opportunities for European farmers, businesses and SMEs.”