Imagine a handful of soil. Black, moist, alive. Or depleted, pale, and hard as concrete? It’s no longer just a question for farmers and researchers. It has become a political project. For the first time, the EU has passed a law to take the pulse of Europe’s soils. And Denmark is on board. 

In October 2025, the Soil Monitoring Law was adopted by the European Parliament. The directive obliges member states to monitor the physical, chemical, and biological condition of their soils and report data to a shared European database. The ambition is clear: healthy soils by 2050. But the road ahead is long. In addition to monitoring, the directive requires member states to actively educate and advise soil managers, enabling them to adapt their practices and contribute to more sustainable land management. The goal is to ensure that the knowledge and methods needed to achieve healthy soils are implemented in time.

Why now? 

The EU estimates that up to 60 percent of its soils are “unhealthy.” This means loss of carbon, poor structure, erosion, or biological imbalance. And it’s costly both for nature and the economy. According to the Commission, the bill for lost ecosystem services amounts to €50 billion annually. 

“We’ve focused on air and water for decades. Now it’s the soil’s turn,” said Emil Lünell Bruhn from the Ministry for Green Transition at the Plant Congress in Herning last week. “It’s about creating knowledge before we impose requirements. We need to understand soil better.” 

What does it mean for Denmark? 

By 2028, Denmark must have a national monitoring system in place. The first soil samples will be taken in 2028, and by 2035 all potentially contaminated areas must be mapped. This requires legislation, new data, and a whole new way of thinking about soil. 

“We need to establish a network of monitoring points that represent Denmark’s soil types and farming systems,” explains Mogens Greve, professor at the Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University. “It’s not just soil chemistry or physical condition that is important, we also need to measure soil biology as well as microbiology and that is complex.” 

In his presentation at the Plant Congress in Herning, Denmark last week, he pointed to four main threats to Danish soils: 

• Carbon loss: Especially in eastern Denmark, where soils have been depleted after centuries of cultivation with fewer livestock.  
• Erosion: For example the pale patches on hilltops where soil has been worn away due to soil treatment.
• Soil compaction: Heavy machinery presses the soil together, preventing water and roots from penetrating.
• Biological changes: Pesticides and intensive farming alter soil micro-life. 

“If we continue as we do now, we won’t have healthy soils by 2050,” says Mogens Greve. “Change is needed.” 

No Hammer… Yet

The directive does not impose new requirements on farmers for now. Monitoring is the state’s responsibility. But in the long term, it could change farming practices. “If we want to stop carbon loss, we need to rethink cropping systems,” says Mogens Greve. That could mean more grass in rotations, less soil compaction, and fewer pesticides. 

There’s also a carrot: Article 11 of the directive encourages support, advice, and innovation. “It’s obvious to use this to promote regenerative methods,” he says. “But we need to get started quickly if we want to reach the goal.” 

Solutions and Dilemmas

At this year’s Plant Congress, it became clear that solutions are not simple. A 20-year experiment from Aarhus University shows that conservation agriculture—a practice supported by the FAO for protecting soil health—can be implemented without increasing nitrate leaching or sacrificing yields in the long term. But there was a downside: their choice of cover crops increased emissions of nitrous oxide (N₂O), a very potent greenhouse gas. 

“The fodder radish we used as a cover crop in the experiment is fantastic for reducing nitrate leaching,” explained Jorge Vélez from the Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University. “But it significantly increases N₂O emissions. The solution? Perhaps mixtures of other species, like phacelia and oats, which emit less N₂O,” added Harika Bommisetty from the same department. “Cover crop mixtures can be a powerful tool for protecting soil health and reducing emissions from agriculture. However, we need to hit the right balance, as nitrate leaching has many environmental effects downstream, including further N2O emissions.” Reflected Jorge.

These are exactly the kinds of dilemmas soil monitoring aims to shed light on. Because soil is not just a production tool. It’s an ecosystem, a carbon bank, a filter against pollution. And now it’s also a political goal. 

More information

Mogens H. Greve, Professor at Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University. Tel.: 20726734

Jorge Vélez, Postdoc at Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University. Mail: jorge_mv@agro.au.dk 

Harika Bommisetty, PhD student at Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University. Mail: h.b@agro.au.dk 

Camilla Brodam Galacho, Communications Advisor at Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University. Tlf.: 93522136