Brian H. Jacobsen

• Ph.d
• Professor (Associate) at University of Copenhagen

Summary In the mid 1990’s, the increase in the biogas production came from 20 centralised biogas plants. Since then the increase in biogas production has come mainly from farm biogas plants and it is estimated that around 8% of all slurry today is used to produce biogas. With the energy agreement from 2012 and a new political ambition of using up...

In Denmark, it is a basic requirement for livestock producers to obtain an environmental approval of livestock production facilities that exceed an annual ammonia emission of 750 kg NH3-N to take the necessary measures to prevent and limit the ammonia pollution by applying the best available techniques (BAT) in accordance with the Industrial Emissi...

In Denmark, it is a basic requirement for livestock producers to obtain an environmental approval of livestock production facilities that exceed an annual ammonia emission of 750 kg NH3-N to take the necessary measures to prevent and limit the ammonia pollution by applying the best available techniques (BAT) in accordance with the Industrial Emissi...

In Denmark, it is a basic requirement for livestock producers to obtain an environmental approval of livestock production facilities that exceed an annual ammonia emission of 750 kg NH3-N to take the necessary measures to prevent and limit the ammonia pollution by applying the best available techniques (BAT) in accordance with the Industrial Emissi...

In Denmark, it is a basic requirement for livestock producers to obtain an environmental approval of livestock production facilities that exceed an annual ammonia emission of 750 kg NH3-N to take the necessary measures to prevent and limit the ammonia pollution by applying the best available techniques (BAT) in accordance with the Industrial Emissi...

In Denmark, it is a basic requirement for livestock producers to obtain an environmental approval of livestock production facilities that exceed an annual ammonia emission of 750 kg NH3-N to take the necessary measures to prevent and limit the ammonia pollution by applying the best available techniques (BAT) in accordance with the Industrial Emissi...

Globally, food production for an ever-growing population is a well-known threat to the environment due to losses of excess reactive nitrogen (N) from agriculture. Since the 1980s, many countries of the Global North, such as Denmark, have successfully combatted N pollution in the aquatic environment by regulation and introduction of national agricul...

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) losses to surface and coastal waters are still critically high across Europe and globally. Measures to mitigate and reduce these losses are being implemented both at the cultivated land surface and at the edge-of-fields. Woodchip bioreactors represent a new alternative in Denmark for treating agricultural drainage wa...

A key aspect of protecting aquatic ecosystems from agricultural nitrogen (N) is to locate (i) farmlands where nitrate leaches from the bottom of the root zone and (ii) denitrifying zones in the aquifers where nitrate is removed before entering the surface water (N-retention). N-retention affects the choice of field mitigation measures to reduce del...

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) losses to surface and coastal waters are still critically high across Europe and globally. Measures to mitigate and reduce these losses are presently implemented both at the cultivated land surface and at the edge-of-fields. Woodchip bioreactors represent a novel alternative for treating agricultural drainage water,...

The Danish Ministry of Environment has requested the review of the use of the Environmental and Resource Costs (ERC) approach in EU countries. The European Commission has stated that the current use of ERC by many EU member states is not satisfactory, but at the same time, the Commission has not provided additional guidelines on this topic. This re...

p>In the version of this article originally published, there were errors in Fig. 7 and equation (4). In Fig. 7, the center heading, now reading “Food plate to farm gate price ratio = 3” originally read, in part, “ratio = 1.” In equation 4, now reading (Formula presented.) an extraneous minus symbol was present before “6.20.” The errors have been co...

Increasing incidences of eutrophication and groundwater quality impairment from agricultural nitrogen pollution are threatening humans and ecosystem health. Minimal improvements in water quality have been achieved despite billions of dollars invested in conservation measures worldwide. Such apparent failures can be attributed in part to legacy nitr...

Insight into the response of cereal yields to nitrogen fertilizer is fundamental to improving nutrient management and policies to sustain economic crop benefits and food sufficiency with minimum nitrogen pollution. Here we propose a new method to assess long-term (LT) regional sustainable nitrogen inputs. The core is a novel scaled response functio...

Nitrogen (N) provides the agriculture industry with a wicked problem: it is an essential nutrient for efficient crop production, but N losses from agricultural production can harm both the stability of the environment and the health of humans. To limit this, targeted N regulation at the ID15 (1500 ha) level is slowly becoming a reality for farmers...

Better nitrogen management, technologies, and regulation are required to reduce nitrogen losses in the aquatic environment. New innovative technologies can support farmers in a more targeted planning of fertilizer application and crop management at the field level to increase the effect of measures when reducing nitrogen losses. However, if farmers...

With the decisions in the overtaxation cases in Beder and Bjellekær, an assessment has been made of them compensation that should be provided for pesticide-free operations. The starting point in both decisions is full compensation, and a value loss of approximately 60 percent has been calculated in both decisions. However, there is as stated not ma...

Natural wetlands used to cover a significant part of the landscape, but these ecosystems have declined by >50% worldwide, and even more in Denmark and Sweden. However, since the 1980s, various policies have been implemented to restore and create wetlands. This study provides a comprehensive historical overview of policies used to stimulate the crea...

Within the transition towards a "circular" economy, more farmers are searching for bio-based fertilisers, which are nutrient products based on animal manure. In Denmark, there are many collaborative agreements between farmers, and the need for manure processing is relatively low. Arable farmers typically receive the manure free of charge or for a r...

The aim of this chapter is to present the Danish Nitrogen Mitigation Assessment (www.DNMARK.org), an ongoing five-year multidisciplinary research alliance, focusing on the quantification of nitrogen (N) flows and solutions scenarios for a more sustainable N use in Denmark. As one of the world’s most agriculturally intensive countries, with a long N...

This report is a catalogue of measures which could be used to reduce the diffuse phosphorus losses to the aquatic environment. The measures are described so that they can be used in a target regulation effort in the coming River basin Management Plans 2021-2027.

The purpose of this catalogue is to give a description of the effects and costs of 20 measures used on areas and 12 measures used as drain measures. The measures are to be used in the targeted regulation for the next River Basin Management Plans for 2021-2027

The Oxford Handbook of Danish Politics Edited by Peter Munk Christiansen, Jørgen Elklit, and Peter Nedergaard Oxford Handbooks Provides the most comprehensive and thorough English language book on Danish Politics available Features contributions from 50 leading experts Presents up-to-date coverage of all significant areas of Danish politics

Danish agricultural and fisheries policy

Prior to the third River Basin Management Plan, a basic analysis will be prepared, and it includes an economic analysis of water use in Denmark. The main emphasis in the analysis is on the water services that are most relevant in Denmark, namely water supply and wastewater management. The analysis covers both public water supply and self-abstractio...

The overall aim of this report is to gather knowledge from ongoing and completed major Danish research projects and initiatives on how to assess nitrogen (N) retention in the subsurface. This new knowledge is important for implementing a more targeted N-regulation in Denmark in the future, as expressed in the political agreement from 2018 (MFVM, 20...

In recent years there has been an increased focus on including aspects such as greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity in cost-effectiveness analyses of nitrogen (N) abatement measures. Side-effects such as aesthetic and recreational benefits generated by the land use changes implied by some N abatement measures, such as afforestation and constru...

Natura 2000 areas are designated according to the EU's Birds and Habitats Directives in order to protect particular habitats and species. A variety of these habitats and species are particularly sensitive to deposition of nitrogen caused by ammonia emissions. Livestock farming is the primary source of this pollution. The purpose of this paper is to...

Summary This report is part of the analyses in the Natura and Ammonia project initiated by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture. The purpose of the overall project is to look at the regulation with respect to ammonia emissions from livestock farms near Natura 2000 sites in Germany, The Netherlands and Denma...

The purpose of the analysis is to consider the regulation of ammonia emissions from livestock farms, especially in relation to Natura 2000 areas in the Netherlands, Germany (Schleswig- Holstein) and Denmark. Natura 2000 areas are designated according to the EU's Habitats Directive and Birds Protection Directive to protect specific habitats and spec...

This report is part of the analyses in the Natura and Ammonia project initiated by the Environmental Agency under the Danish Ministry of Food and Agriculture. The purpose of the overall project is to look at the regulation with respect to ammonia emissions from livestock farms near Nature 2000 sites in Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. The anal...

Der er foretaget miljøkonsekvensvurdering af forskellige modeller og delmodeller udarbejdet af Miljøstyrelsen til ændring af den specifikke ammoniakregulering. Konsekvenser for natur og miljø er belyst frem mod 2035 for de forskellige kategorier af såkaldt ammoniakfølsom natur, der indgår i den nuværende ammoniakregulering. Miljøeffekter er primært...

European agriculture is a large importer of nutrients in the form of chemical fertilizers. Additionally, countries with livestock-intensive farming face problems with disposal of nutrients in animal manure. The availability of chemical fertilizers has changed farmers' past dependence on manure. Nowadays, despite its nutrient content, manure is some...

Within the transition towards a “circular” economy, more farmers are searching for bio-based fertilisers, which are nutrient products based on animal manure. In Denmark, there are many collaborative agreements between farmers, and the need for manure processing is relatively low. Arable farmers typically receive the manure free of charge or for a r...

The EU countries are trying to reduce the ammonia emission towards the 2020 and the 2030 targets in the Clean Air agreement. In order to do so, the countries need to implement a range of technologies. The Danish ammonia emission has been reduced by 40% from 1980 to 2015, but more is required. Several technologies have been used in the buildings, in...

One of the major challenges in the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) is how to address diffuse agricultural pollution of the aquatic environment. In Denmark the implementation of agricultural measures has been fraught with difficulty in the form of delays and legal proceedings, despite an ambitious starting point. Why has the im...

In 2014, a radical shift took place in Danish water planning. Following years of a top-down water planning approach, 23 regional water councils were established to co-create and provide input to Danish authorities on the development of River Basin Management Plans (RBMP). The water councils advised local authorities on the application of measures t...

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) focuses on reduction of nutrients in individual water bodies. Innovative drainage filter technologies currently being tested in Denmark could facilitate nutrient reductions at the sub-river basins and catchment levels. The implementation strategy for these technologies, however, remains a challenge. Using both pr...

Summary As part of the new livestock regulation from 2017, a phosphorus ceiling is introduced on Danish livestock farms, which increases the need for redistribution of manure on some farms. The purpose of this report is, therefore, to compare the cost of transporting manure with the use of other technologies. Since for many years, the Netherlands h...

The Netherlands and Denmark are the two biggest pig meat exporters in Europe, both with a strong focus on the German market. The structure of pig farms is very different: an average Danish pig farm has 3500 pigs, 170 ha of agricultural land on which a major part of the feed cereals are grown, whereas a typical Dutch pig farm has 2500 pigs with only...

From 1990 to 2003, Denmark reduced N-leaching from the root zone by 50%. However, more measures are required, and in recent years, the focus has been on how to differentiate measures in order to ensure that they are implemented where the effect on N-loss reductions per ha is the greatest. The purpose of the NiCA project has been to estimate the nat...

Many European countries try to reduce ammonia emission in order to fulfil the targets set in the NEC directive (National Emission Ceiling Directive). A number of similar technologies are being used in many EU countries e.g. the injection of slurry on the fields and the cover of storage of slurry, whereas acidification of slurry is used almost only...

With more than 60% of the land farmed, with vulnerable freshwater and marine environments, and with one of the most intensive, export-oriented livestock sectors in the world, the nitrogen (N) pollution pressure from Danish agriculture is severe. Consequently, a series of policy action plans have been implemented since the mid 1980s with significant...

SUMMARY Prior to the Water Plan 2015 a basic analysis is developed which includes an economic analysis of water use in Denmark. The economic analysis deals with universal service obligations which include water supply and wastewater management. The aim is to describe the income and expenses related to the principle of cost recovery of services in...

Denmark has been one of the leading European Countries in using Biogas for Combined Heat and Power (CHP), since the 1980s. However, in the last two decades, the increase has been limited. A new energy policy aimed at increasing the profitability of biogas was introduced in the spring of 2012. The analysis here shows that the new agreement will impr...

The European Union's (EU) Water Framework Directive (WFD) is implemented as an instrument to obtain good ecological status in waterbodies of Europe. The directive recognises the need to accommodate social and economic considerations to obtain cost-effective implementation of the directive. In particular, EU member states can apply for various exemp...

The European Union's (EU) Water Framework Directive (WFD) is implemented as an instrument to obtain good ecological status in waterbodies of Europe. The directive recognises the need to accommodate social and economic considerations to obtain cost-effective implementation of the directive. In particular, EU member states can apply for various exemp...

This article looks at how the Best Available Technology Not Entailing Excessive Costs (BATNEEC) can be implemented in practice using the ammonia regulation in Denmark as an example. The reductions of ammonia emissions in Denmark have been achieved mainly through command and control measures. The analysis in this paper shows how cost-effectiveness a...

Cost-benefit analysis can be used to provide guidance for emerging policy priorities in reducing nitrogen (N) pollution. This paper provides a critical and comprehensive assessment of costs and benefits of the various flows of N on human health, ecosystems and climate stability in order to identify major options for mitigation. The social cost of i...

Implementation of the Nitrates Directive (NiD) and its environmental impacts were compared for member states in the northwest of the European Union (Ireland, United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Northern France and Germany). The main sources of data were national reports for the third reporting period for the NiD (2004–2007) and resul...

Abstract. Implementation of the Nitrates Directive (NiD) and its environmental impacts were compared for member states in the Northwest of the European Union (Ireland, UK, Denmark, The Netherlands, Belgium, Northern France and Germany). The main sources of data were national reports for the third reporting period for the NiD (2004–2007) and results...

Abstract: The NEC (National Emission Ceiling) directive has set targets for the 2010 ammonia emissions from a number of European countries. The target will be reached by most EU-countries and the total emission for EU-27 has been reduced by 22% from 1990 to 2007. Denmark is one of the countries with the largest reductions since 1990 and the article...

Public participation in the form of informing, consulting and actively involving all interested parties is required during the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). This paper discusses progress with implementation of the WFD in Denmark and the measures taken to conform to the requirements for public participation. The first aim of...

The share of renewable energy is increasing in Europe and today 18% of electricity comes from renewable energy. The aim for 2020 is that 20% of all energy used in Europe should come from renewable energy. Biogas is an important part of this aim, producing both green electricity and heat. Denmark used considerable efforts in developing the centralis...

Presenting the first continental-scale assessment of reactive nitrogen in the environment, this book sets the related environmental problems in context by providing a multidisciplinary introduction to the nitrogen cycle processes. Issues of upscaling from farm plot and city to national and continental scales are addressed in detail with emphasis on...

The purpose of this paper is to analyse different separation concepts in order to evaluate the overall costs based on a systems approach from stable to field. When livestock are produced in livestock intensive areas the distribution of manure without creating a surplus of nutrients is often a problem. Separation of the slurry into a liquid nitrogen...

Public participation in the form of informing, consulting and actively involving all interested parties is required during the implementation of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). This paper discusses progress with implementation of the WFD in Denmark and the measures taken to conform to the requirements for public participation. The first aim of...

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) encourages active involvement during its implementation, although no specific participatory methods are suggested, whilst implementing the target-oriented Directive will require detailed agri-environmental data at catchment and farm level. The paper is a case study of the Danish AGWAplan project, which actively i...

The Water Framework Directive (WFD) intends to improve the water quality in all waters in Europe. In the paper some key issues regarding the economic analyses and choice of the most cost effective measures is described. Results from preliminary analysis made by Denmark, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom are described. The findings suggest that...

Abstract Reduced tillage is an increasingly popular farming method. In some countries it is used on up to 50% of the total cropland, but in Denmark the area with reduced tillage is only 10%. The benefit from reduced tillage is a higher marginal profit per ha due to an increased productivity of labour and machinery, but there are also environmental...

This article was submitted without an abstract, please refer to the full-text PDF file.

This article was submitted without an abstract, please refer to the full-text PDF file.

Summary When implementing the Water Framework Directive (WFD), one of the major tasks is to find measures which can insure that the targets are reached. The cost effectiveness analysis (CEA) provides a method for choosing the most cost-effective measures for each River Basin. The cost effectiveness ranking of measures is straight forward when ther...

The EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) requires an integrated approach to river basin management in order to meet environmental and ecological objectives. This paper presents concepts and full-scale application of an integrated modelling framework. The Ringkoebing Fjord basin is characterized by intensive agricultural production and leakage of nitr...

Summary and conclusions The EU Water Framework Directive and The Danish Law of Environmental Aims make general requirements on good ecological status for surface waters and groundwater at the latest in 2015. This will also include watercourses, but here the targets will in many cases not be achieved unless the runoff during summertime is increased...

The Nitrate Directive has only been implemented satisfactorily in a few EU countries. The Commission have accepted the Danish implementation of the directive based on the Plan for the Aquatic Environment II. The costs of this plan has been calculated to 70 million € or 2,0 € per kg N in reduced leaching. The farmers have paid 60% of the costs. The...

The objective of this study has been to design a number of farm scenarios representing future plausible and internally consistent organic farming enterprises based on milk, pig, and plant production and use these farm scenarios as the basis for the generation of generalised knowledge on labour and machinery input and costs. Also, an impact analysis...

The economic calculations carried out prior to the Plan for the Aquatic Environment III included a comparison of regulation systems aimed at reducing nitrogen leaching, analyses of measures for reducing phosphorus losses and estimation of administrative costs. The conclusions were that taxation of the N-surplus introduced at the sector level was th...