With many Danish farmers currently operating under difficult economic conditions, the role of the Danish Agricultural Advisory Service (DAAS) is increasingly important. A partnership comprising 31 local advisory centres throughout Denmark in addition to a Knowledge Centre, the DAAS is owned – and much used – by Danish farmers. The organisation’s 3,500 employees help “build bridges between research and agriculture and communicate the latest knowledge and technology to Danish farmers and horticulturalists with the aim of producing food and products of the highest standards.”

Dating back to the start of the co-operative movement in the 19th century when farmers saw the benefits of collaboration, DAAS is firmly focused on improving its members’ bottom line, increasing their competitiveness and assisting them in their dealings with financial institutions and local authorities.
- Our specialists advise our membership on a whole range of issues, including animal production, feed, management systems and finance, explained Managing Director Jan Mousing to Danish Matters.

- One of our key functions is the auditing of farm accounts. Our teams have built up specialist skills and systems and we have a market share in this area of around 90%. In addition, our Knowledge Centre is responsible for livestock recording, the collecting and processing of agricultural data and administering a number of joint databases.

Agro Food Park
Located in the suburb of Skejby, north of Aarhus, Denmark’s second city, the DAAS Knowledge Centre is part of the Agro Food Park which, despite these challenging times, is currently undergoing significant expansion.
Adjacent to the Knowledge Centre, the construction of an Innovation House is underway which is set to boost global interest in the Danish agricultural and food sector.

- The aim is to encourage innovation in the entire agricultural sector, explains Jan Mousing who is also Chairman of the Agro Food Park development.

- The Innovation House is already 100 per cent full and will be ready for occupation at the end of this year. This will be followed by the second phase of our development plans, the expansion of the Agro Food Park. By 2020, we envisage Agro Food Park providing 3,000 workplaces distributed across 40-50 businesses involved in agriculture and food innovation and we anticipate seeing an increased demand for all that Denmark excels at – quality, technology, organic production and, of course, innovation.

Constant innovation
Asked how he sees the DAAS developing and where Danish agriculture will be five years from now, Jan Mousing, Denmark’s former Chief Veterinary Officer, says:

- I don’t see Danish farmers going in any one direction and I’m quite sure that the agricultural sector will maintain the pressure of doing things slightly better today than we did yesterday. We’ll see new kinds of production – bio energy is very interesting – and I’m sure that farming, particularly pig farming, will become more international. I also see a willingness on the part of Danish farmers to operate in ways we’ve not seen before. We’ll see more organic production – not only in Denmark, but throughout the world. I firmly believe that with the initiatives we are taking now and by drawing on the technology and know-how inherent in our organisation, the Danish food and agricultural sector will remain fully competitive and prepared for all the challenges that will inevitably arise in this fast-moving sector.