During an intensive ten-day study tour across Denmark this past May, I had the opportunity to explore first-hand how Scandinavian growers are responding to increasing global industry pressures. Faced with rising energy costs, strict carbon taxation, and persistent labour shortages, the Danish greenhouse sector is undergoing a significant transition—from reactive pest control to highly automated, preventative production systems.
The itinerary covered a diverse range of advanced facilities, including automated hydroponic leafy green production, high-density cucumber operations, and regulated medical cannabis production. Across all sites, two consistent themes emerged: the rapid adoption of automation and the growing integration of climate data within pest management strategies.
At Nordic Greens Bellinge A/S, I observed full environmental control in practice, with advanced hydroponic systems supported by tailored LED lighting to ensure consistent crop quality throughout the Scandinavian winter. In contrast, at Gartneri 7eren, the focus shifted to addressing labour constraints through mechanisation. The use of Bugline technology—a system that moves across crop canopies to deploy biological control agents—demonstrated how automation can significantly reduce manual input while maintaining effective pest control.
One of the most striking insights from the tour was the extent to which pest management is now driven by climate control. At high-density operations such as DK Plant and Grønthuset APS, microclimates are carefully managed to suppress pest populations. By precisely balancing temperature, humidity, and airflow, growers are increasingly using the greenhouse environment itself as an active tool to reduce pressure from key pests such as aphids, thrips, and whiteflies.
Even under highly regulated, pesticide-free conditions—such as those seen in EU-GMP medical cannabis facilities—crop protection is achieved through fully preventative systems. Here, strict hygiene protocols, biological control programmes, and compartmentalisation combine to ensure crops remain clean without reliance on chemical interventions.
The key takeaway from my time in Denmark is the growing importance of system-based thinking in commercial horticulture. Successful production is no longer reliant on individual interventions, but instead on the integration of early monitoring, automated biological deployment, and precise climate control into a cohesive and resilient strategy.
For LSA Fellows, experiences such as this underline the value of exposure to different production systems and approaches. Study tours provide an important opportunity to broaden perspective, challenge established practices and consider how innovations observed abroad might be adapted within the UK horticulture sector.
A sincere thank you to Nastassia Ardziaka from Horticoop B.V. for organising such a well-structured and insightful study tour.
Edgars Kneksis, 2025 Fellow
LSA CT Fellowship Scheme 