ANGRY FARMERS

Danish farmers are up in arms. Farmers are generally quite angry these days, but this time it is serious. From 1 September they will not be allowed to grow crops, spray chemicals or use manure on any land within 10 metres of water. That means ponds, lakes, rivers and streams. The idea is to prevent chemicals from seeping into the water supply, and thereby protect the environment. But farmers believe they are not being compensated enough for having to give up what will be, in total, a lot of land.

To add insult to injury, in farmers' eyes, the general public will have the right to wander along all of these new paths. This will be good for hikers and nature lovers, but not for agriculturists.

Farmers are so angry that their representative organisation is threatening to sue the Danish state on 1 September, on the grounds that the expropriation is against the constitution. This is gearing up to be quite a battle.

Walter Blotscher