This report concerns the administration of permits for and supervision of marine fish farms. The Danish Environmental Protection Agency under the Ministry of Environment is responsible for these tasks.
The purpose of the study is to assess whether the Ministry of Environment’s administration of permits for and supervision of marine fish farms is satisfactory. Rigsrevisionen answers the following questions in the report:
- Does the Danish Environmental Protection Agency administer permits satisfactorily?
- Are the Danish Environmental Protection Agency’s processing times for permit applications satisfactory?
- Are the Danish Environmental Protection Agency’s supervision and enforcement of the rules satisfactory?
Rigsrevisionen assesses that the Ministry of Environment’s administration of permits for and supervision of marine fish farms is very unsatisfactory. All 19 marine fish farms operate under permits from the 1990s, and the Danish Environmental Protection Agency’s processing of applications for new permits has so far spanned up to 11 years. The Agency has contributed to the delays, partly because its decisions have not been of the required quality. Its supervision is inadequate, and it has not consistently taken enforcement action in response to repeated infringements. As a consequence, the farms continue to operate under permits from the 1990s that impose less stringent limits on pollution, which may harm the surrounding marine environment.
Rigsrevisionen initiated the study in November 2025 at the request of the Danish Public Accounts Committee.