Denmark has made the decision to establish a new pay scale for foreign farm managers and herdsmen who wish to work in the agriculture industry and enter the nation. The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) announced the news and stated that the new compensation level for farm managers and herdsmen is in accordance with the Agricultural Agreement that was negotiated between 3F and GLS-A.

The new collective agreement is effective from March 1, 2024, and all applications submitted for herdsmen and farm managers on or after April 12, 2024, will be assessed based on the new salary level. As SIRI notes, when processing applications for residence and work permits for herdsmen and farm managers, the agency checks if the offered salary corresponds to Danish standards, among others. If not, the agency will then deem the salary incongruent with Danish standards.

This Is How Much Herdsmen’s Salary Needs to Be for It to Meet Danish Standards

In line with the newly reached agreement, the offered salary to herdsmen needs to meet the following standards for them to be issued a residence and work permit:

• From March 1, 2024: a minimum of DKK 31,607.62 (€4,236.82) per month.
• From June 1, 2024: a minimum of DKK 32,189.39 (€4,314.80) per month.

If the monthly salary for herdsmen is as above, including or excluding pension contributions, it will be considered that it corresponds to Danish standards. For roles that are not included in the Agricultural Agreement of the Interdisciplinary Agreement, overtime and supplemental rates apply for working overtime and during specific hours. In line with the agreement, workers working overtime must be paid DKK 209.82 (€28.13) per hour for the initial two hours of work beyond the regular working hours and DKK 287.75 (€38.57) per hour for subsequent hours, including public holidays and Sundays. Regarding specific hours, workers must be paid supplemental DKK 23.66 (€3.17) per hour for work before 5 a.m., DKK 144.45 (€19.36) per day for work after 12 p.m. on Saturdays, and DKK 305.96 (€41.01) per day for work on public holidays and Sundays.

Salary Level of Farm Managers Needs to Exceed That of Herdsmen’s

For farm managers, whose scope of responsibilities is broader, SIRI emphasised that their salary will be considered to correspond to Danish standards as long as it exceeds the salary of herdsmen. However, if there is uncertainty about whether a farm manager’s salary meets Danish standards, the matter will then be referred to the Regional Labour Market Council for additional evaluation.