In a first for the EU, Denmark’s new centre-left coalition has replaced the traditional Agriculture Minister post with a Minister for Nature and Animal Welfare.
Following months of coalition talks after Denmark’s March election, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Wednesday presented a new 21-member cabinet, launching her third term and signalling a move further to the left compared with the previous administration.
One of the most striking changes is the disappearance of the traditional Agriculture Minister title. Instead, the government has established a Ministry for Nature and Animal Welfare, to be led by Social Democrat Christian Rabjerg Madsen, a longtime Frederiksen ally.
Madsen will assume duties that were previously housed within the Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, which had been overseen by Jacob Jensen.
According to an organisational document released by the prime minister’s office, responsibilities relating to agriculture will now be divided across five separate ministries.