Government wants to help winter bathing clubs, job losses at tax agencies, farmers get response on feed dispute and more news from Denmark this Tuesday.
Government wants winter bathing clubs to build saunas more easily
Winter bathing – taking a dip in ice cold sea or lake water – is a popular activity in Denmark, with large numbers of people having memberships of clubs all over the country.
Studies have shown the potential health benefits of winter bathing and it is also a popular social pastime for many Danes.
Hopping into a sauna to recover from the shock of the cold water is often part of the experience, but it should be easier for winter bathing clubs to add saunas to their facilities without bureaucracy, according to the government.
Current rules require the clubs to obtain a building permit (lokalplan) from municipal authorities before constructing a sauna.
It also involves applying for dispensation for environmental protection rules related to coastal areas. This part of the existing rules should be kept, the government says.
“Winter bathing brings people together and creates strong communities around nature,” Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke said in a statement.
“But there are far too few winter bathing associations in rural areas which find the requirement for a building permit a time consuming process that trips up local initiatives,” he said.
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Tax Ministry to fire 600 public servants
The Tax Ministry announced in a statement yesterday that up to 600 people will be let go – or staff who leave not replaced – in measures aimed at cutting staff costs at a list of Ministry departments.
The ministry expects to lay off between 610 and 640 employees out of a workforce of around 12,500 in order to save around 1.1 billion kroner by 2030.
The affected agencies include the Tax Agency, the Motor Vehicle Agency (Motorstyrelsen), the Debt Collection Agency (Gældsstyrelsen) and the Customs Agency (Toldstyrelsen).
Tax Minister Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen said the ministry is in a strong position after expanding its administrative capacity in recent years, making it able to “contribute” to the government programme cutting state spending on staff.
“I stand by that, even though it is never pleasant to say goodbye to skilled managers and employees,” the minister said in the statement.
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Farmers get clearer guidelines on climate-friendly feed additive
The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration (Fødevarestyrelsen) has clarified the conditions under which farmers can exempt sick animals from being fed the climate-friendly additive Bovaer.
That comes after farmers complained about the additive, saying their dairy cows have yielded less milk and seem in worse health since it was introduced.
The exemption applies if “the herd manager finds that certain cows have a condition likely to worsen as a result of Bovaer” before the additive is introduced to their feed, the agency said in a statement.
“Similarly, cows that have shown symptoms due to Bovaer feeding and have already been exempted may continue to be exempt until the herd manager considers them fit to resume it,” it said.
New rules introduced this year require farmers to reduce methane emissions from dairy cows, either by adding Bovaer to their feed for 80 days during the year or by increasing the fat content of the feed throughout the year.
Social Democratic Copenhagen mayor candidate quits politics
The Social Democratic candidate for Mayor of Copenhagen in last week’s local elections, Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil, has announced she is leaving politics after defeat in the election.
Rosenkrantz-Theil announced that she would be leaving politics and does not want to take the place on Copenhagen City Council to which she was elected.
The Social Democratic candidate failed to become mayor in the Danish capital after the party lost power of the city council for the first time in over 100 years.
However, she received a large number of personal votes in the election and was expected to take a seat on the city council and become head of a municipal committee.