The goal is through voluntary agreements to create better conditions for nature and the environment as well as offering farmers other agricultural areas which are close to the farm and that are suitable for the individual landowner's farm. It is expected that about 80 landowners will participate in the land consolidation and it is expected that a total of approx. 700 hectares can be redistributed. The Danish Agricultural Agency has previously given conditional consent to the project, which was conditional on the preliminary study now carried out.
The landowners play a central role in this puzzle and our land consolidation planners look forward to starting negotiations with the landowners, so we can help enable the realization of the project, says unit manager at The Danish Agricultural Agency Frank Josephsen Kargo.
The Danish Nature Agency is responsible for the project in collaboration with Viborg Municipality. The purpose of the project in Nørreådalen is, among other things, to protect rare nature, protect groundwater, reduce the climate impact from cultivating low-lying areas and establish paths for the benefit of the outdoor enthusiasts.
This project fits in perfectly with the large LIFE-Natureman project, which Viborg municipality and the Danish Nature Agency are already working on, and I am quite sure that it will contribute to large overall gains for both nature and agriculture in the area, says forester at the Danish Nature Agency Bendt Egede Andersen.
In Viborg Municipality, the project is a direct result of intense work to create a landscape strategy for Nørreådalen. Through i.a. interviews, landowners and farmers have shown great interest in participating in land consolidation.
Land consolidation can be used as a tool to get rid of the wet meadows by Nørreåen, which can not be cultivated. At the same time, others may have the opportunity to buy the areas for nature conservation. The same applies to agricultural land located where the groundwater is formed. Here, there may be restrictions in relation to agriculture, and therefore an opportunity to sell the area and get replacement land may be desirable, says Jørgen Jørgensen, Dept. Head of Nature and Water, Viborg Municipality.
The attached pictures of Nørreådalen are free to use in connection with the above story.
Read more about the multifunctional consolidation in Nørreådalen by Ørum and Kvorning here
Further information about the project:
The Danish Agency for Agriculture
Sanne Lisby Eriksen
Land Distribution & Agriculture Act
Mail: saneri@lbst.dk
Tel: +45 22 92 95 41
The Danish Nature Agency
Dept. Himmerland
Martin Nissen Nørgård
Project manager
Mail: marno@nst.dk
tel. +45 93 56 41 00
Viborg Municipality
Hanne Døssing Hornum
Project manager
Mail: hdh@viborg.dk
tel. +45 87 87 55 05