Licensing Toolkit - Denmark

Avg. duration: 4-10 monthsValidity: 5 yearsLegal cost: Free, but a deposit is likely requiredAuthority in charge: Coast Directorate

• Define the project: Location, target size, type of equipment and techniques to be used.
• Investigate if your envisioned farm interferes with any other marine uses – like the obvious shipping routes and less obvious uses marine cable lines.
• Assess the farm’s potential impacts on the environment and, if applicable, related Natura 2000 sites.

• Every licence will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, meaning that site, size, and equipment selection can change an application’s chances of success depending on their local area. Try to learn from experienced farmers to maximize your chance of successfully being granted a licence.
• Ensure to choose a location that does not contain Zostera marina and interfere with other ocean activities. If you fail to do so, this will delay the process and you might be forced to change the location. Also find a site with a water depth of a minimum 9 meters to avoid Zostera marina.
• Identify farm locations outside Nature-2000 areas to avoid having to do extensive reporting on the environmental consequences the farm might have on the protected area.

• A pre-engagement with stakeholders is not compulsory, but well received and can set a solid basis for the official public consultation that takes place after submission of the application. Potential stakeholders can be, but are not limited to neighbours, local fishers, local communities, yacht associations, coast guards, the nearest port, etc.

• In many cases, stakeholders have different opinions. Try to include them as early as possible to increase the application’s chances of success.

• Describe your farm in great detail and showcase how the farm might affect local stakeholders and the environment. Be specific, yet concise and showcase how potential effects can be mitigated.
• Add a map that describes the geometrical form of the farm using coordinates and the set-up of the farm.
• Fill in and submit the online application form of the Coast Directorate, including annexes describing your farm.

• Be detailed in describing your future farm, and include information about your potential pre-engagement with relevant stakeholders

• The Coast Directorate (“Kystdirektorates”) validates the application’s completeness and, if needed, requests further information/documents.

• Expect a dialogue with the Coast Directorate about your licence application and envisioned farm. The Coast Directorate can requests new/ additional documents that were not mentioned in the application template. Learn from experienced farmers and discuss with the Coast Directorate what documents will be required in your specific case.
• If the Coast Directorate requests further information, make sure to deliver timely responses as the process will not proceed until the Directorate has the required information.
• The Coast Directorate validation process is currently delayed from the planned 14 days to about four months. Plan accordingly.

• As soon as the application is complete, the Coast Directorate disseminates the application to the Maritime Authority, the Nature Authority, the Culture Authority, the Transport Authority, and local municipalities. In some cases, if required, the Coastal Directorate may choose to consult other authorities, e.g., the Environmental Protection Authority, the Energy Authority, or the Defense Authority. To take notice of it, the application is also sent to the Society for Nature Conservation, the Outdoor Council, the Ornithological Society, and the National Association of Holiday Home Owners.
• Additionally, the Coast Directorate forwards the application to neighbours as well as uploads the application on its website.
• All authorities and the public have four weeks to comment on the application.

• The consulted bodies can ask for an extension of the four week consultation period, which the Coast Directorate usually grants. Plan accordingly.
• Comments filed after the 4 week consultation period but before the drafting of the licence will still be taken into account.
• During the public hearing phase, the application will likely be forwarded to relevant NGOs. Be sure to engage the locally relevant NGOs early in the process.

• After the public consultation period, comments that require a response from the applicant are sent to the applicant.
• As soon as all comments are resolved, the Coast Directorate decides whether a licence will be granted. Subsequently, the Coast Directorate sends its decision to the applicant as well as the consulted bodies and publishes it via its website.

• You have 14 days to respond to the comments received. Ensure to diligently answer them within the two-week timeframe.
• The Coastal Directorate might ask you to adapt your envisioned farm based on the feedback received.

• The Coast Directorate grants the licence and its conditions based on the application and the public consultation.
• The consulted bodies and the applicant can appeal the licence and its conditions within four weeks to the Environment and food Appeals Board (Miljø- og Fødevareklagenævnet.)

• Appeals from stakeholders against the granting of a seaweed farming licence can significantly delay the process of an applicant being able to start farming. Engage as many stakeholders as possible early on to avoid this from happening.
• Theoretically, appeals based on technical faults can be made years after the licence was granted. Ensure to work diligently to avoid these late appeals all together or limit their chances of success.

• As soon as all potential appeals are resolved and, if required, an EIA report has been submitted and accepted, the Coast Directorate grants the licence.
• After the licence has been granted, the applicant must use the farming area accordingly.

• Prior to installing the farm, the Coast Directorate can require a deposit in order to be able to remove the farm and its equipment in case of bankruptcy. This deposit is case dependent and can range from 5-20 thousand Danish Krone, with the exact amount being determined by the Coast Directorate. This deposit will need to be set aside in a special bank account to which only the Coast Directorate has access to.

• The amount deposit is not always clear early on in the process. Plan your funding accordingly.
• Ensure to install the marker buoys in accordance to the description in your licence application.

• Install your seaweed farm based on your licence conditions.

• Licences are currently given for 5 years. This timeframe is likely going to change soon to ten years.
• Licences can be withdrawn at any time if the farm does not match the description in the licence application.

Contact us to be featured as a fellow farmer

Are you a Danish seaweed farmer, or in the last strives of establishing your seaweed farm? If so, we would be interested in featuring you here as an inspiring example for future seaweed farmers. If you would like to be showcased, please contact us at: contacteu4algae [dot] eu (contact[at]eu4algae[dot]eu)