THEY say necessity is the mother of all invention, and in Denmark that is certainly true of the country's move into renewable energy and its ongoing reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
As the world's attention starts to shift to Denmark in the lead up to next month's United Nations climate negotiations, or COP 15, Rural Press has shone the light on Danish agriculture to better understand its role in and behind this modern environmental success story, known in Europe as "the Danish example".
It's true that Denmark's green credentials weren't born because of some warm and fuzzy ideal to save the planet.
The Danes have only come as far as they have because of an energy crisis which hit Europe in the early 1980s and forced Denmark to radically change its ways or face an oil supply situation which would become unaffordable - and later unavailable.
Green pressures came afterwards, with regulation from the European Union to achieve a 20 per cent greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2020.
Denmark is testament to the fact that economic growth and reduced greenhouse gas emissions can happen together.
Since 1980 the Danish economy has grown by about 70 per cent while its energy consumption in that time has remained unchanged.
According to Danish Government data, the energy needed to produce one unit of GDP (gross domestic product) in Denmark is 40 per cent lower than the average for European Union countries.
Today, renewable energy sources like wind and biomass (natural energy sources like crop and animal waste) make up more than a quarter of Denmark's energy consumption.
On top of high taxes and a traditional energy squeeze, Danish farmers have had the added onus of many layers of environmental regulation for at least the past 15 years, set not just by their own Government but also the European Union.
Both the need to secure cheaper and more reliable fuel sources and the extreme environmental regulations have helped Danish farmers drive down their own farm emissions, even if (at first) this wasn't the initial aim of the game.
Now with the focus on climate change, farmers are putting their minds to new ways they can be part of the climate solution by further reducing costs but without affecting production.
However, like Australian farmers, they will be lobbying hard for major changes to international accounting rules for agriculture so that the good work done by farmers is fairly recognised.
Denmark is serious about its agricultural production - Danish farmers produce enough food to feed three times the Danish population.
Farm emissions in Denmark account for about 18 per cent of the country's total, and while an EU target to reduce emissions by 20 per cent before the year 2020 excluded agriculture, Denmark's Government placed additional target benchmarks on the sector to help meet its national commitments.
According to the Danish Agriculture and Food Council, the farm sector has reduced its emissions by 27 per cent between 1990 and 2007, and its reduced methane emissions in the dairy industry is among the best achievements throughout Europe.
Farmers have also reduced their use of nitrogen and phosphorous-based fertilisers by 50 and 75 per cent respectively, while food production has still managed to increase.
This has been possible through a better use of livestock manure, improved technologies for handling manure and fertilisers and new technology for housing facilities for livestock which utilise such things as animal body heat for heating.
Major research to help animals better process feedstuffs is also being spearheaded in Denmark by locally-based company Novozymes.
For example, enzymes added to feed enabling better utilisation of natural phosphorous in Danish pigs could save up to 27,000 tonnes of Co2, or the equivalent of emissions generated by 3000 people.
Specialist livestock breeding programs have also played a part.
Efforts to reduce energy use in the country's mega pig processing industry have led to a 29pc emission reduction for every slaughtered pig in the past 20 years.
Biomass, creating fuel from products like straw, manure, meat bi-products and food waste, now generates more than 70 per cent of Denmark's renewable energy, yet while there has been some financial incentive for farmers to be part of this, the emission reduction brownie points go to the energy sector in the majority of cases, and not to farmers.
The Agriculture and Food Council says Denmark has "great unexploited potential" for agricultural production of bio-energy from biomass, with initial estimates pointing to a four-five fold increase in existing production, and by using what was traditionally seen as waste this removes any negative impact on food supplies.
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