From pig farm to ministerial office—who is Henrik Frandsen?

Denmark’s new minister for the elderly is Henrik Frandsen (M).

This is confirmed after Mette Kierkgaard (M) today left the position to spend more time with her husband, who is suffering from late effects of extensive cancer treatment.

According to DR’s political analyst Jens Ringberg, the appointment of Henrik Frandsen makes perfect sense.

- When the Moderates needed to find a new minister for the elderly, Henrik Frandsen was an obvious choice. And an easy one. He is experienced as a politician – and, moreover, experienced in relation to elderly affairs, says Jens Ringberg.

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**The Pig Farmer Who Wants to Halve Denmark’s Pig Production**

Henrik Frandsen comes from the agricultural sector. For over 30 years, he ran a large farm in the South Jutland town of Skærbæk, where he kept 500 sows and produced up to 13,000 slaughter pigs annually.

He has also been active in the interest organization *Landbrug & Fødevarer* (Agriculture & Food) for many years, serving as vice president for a period.

Today, Frandsen views his former profession critically and has proposed halving the current production of piglets, which stands at around 30 million per year. This follows a major exposé in several media outlets, including *Berlingske* ([link](https://www.berlingske.dk/indland/han-har-selv-vaeret-svinebonde-og-haft-problemer-med-syge-dyr-nu-vil-henrik-frandsen-halvere-svineproduktionen-i-danmark?gaa_at=eafs&gaa_n=AWEtsqd2ECC3Z3iNQY4aOfs8nbmRkh68XUh015r1OkyftAY7HKA-zE51yRXjhEFYSUc%3D&gaa_ts=6981d3f9&gaa_sig=nl7CCJul_4HwSESh3IPYp0WoDr1FxgyWl8t8NNUwr3KytTVPIe_PFKUj75U3WJKYLdRZqPA4FgjUMx3bY_W4qg%3D%3D)) and *TV2* ([link](https://play.tv2.dk/serie/hvem-passer-paa-grisene-tv2)).

In 2009, Henrik Frandsen on his farm in Skærbæk. (Photo: © Carsten Andreasen, Ritzau Scanpix)

Last week, in *P1 Debat* ([link](https://www.dr.dk/lyd/p1/p1-debat/p1-debat-2026/syge-svin-11162601054)), Frandsen stated that Danish pig production is "playing with fire":

- We need an agricultural and pig production sector that our citizens in Denmark can be proud of and want to maintain in the long term, he said.

DR’s political analyst Jens Ringberg explains that Frandsen’s background in agriculture was crucial for the agreement on the *Green Tripartite* (a coalition between the government, employers, and unions).

- It has been interesting to see the former pig farmer Henrik Frandsen in the role of climate spokesperson for a centrist party. But he seems to have taken to the role effortlessly. This aligns perfectly with the Moderates’ goal of securing a broad consensus on the *Green Tripartite* – with support from *Landbrug & Fødevarer*, where Frandsen served as vice president, says Ringberg.

Frandsen gave up his pig farming in 2016 but remained on his farm in Skærbæk.

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**From Farmer to Mayor**

Henrik Frandsen has not previously served in the Folketing (Danish Parliament) before this term. Nevertheless, he has more political experience than most in the Moderates’ parliamentary group.

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**Henrik Frandsen’s Political Career**

- **Farmer** (1985–2020)

- **President of Sønderjysk Landboforening** (South Jutland Farmers’ Association) (2006–2012)

- **Vice President of Landbrug & Fødevarer** (2011–2012)

- **Council Member, Tønder Municipality** (2014–2021)

- **Mayor, Tønder Municipality** (2016–2021)

- **Co-founder and President, Tønder Listen** (2020–2022)

- **Folketing Member, Moderates** (2022–present)

- **Group Leader, Moderates** (2022–2025)

- **Minister for the Elderly** (2026)

Source: *ft.dk*

Frandsen’s political career began in 2013 when he ran for the position of Liberal Party (Venstre) top candidate in the municipal election for Tønder Municipality. However, he failed to secure the nomination, losing to Venstre’s Laurids Rudebeck, who became mayor.

When Rudebeck passed away three years later, Frandsen was able to take his place as mayor.

In the 2017 municipal election, Venstre regained power in Tønder Municipality, winning one additional seat and just one short of a majority in the council alone. Frandsen was the overwhelming top vote-getter with 2,647 personal votes, allowing him to retain the mayoral chain.

As mayor, Henrik Frandsen welcomed Prince Joachim and his family at the *Tønder Festival* in 2016. (Photo: © Torben Christensen, Ritzau Scanpix)

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**The Break with Venstre**

Problems within Venstre in Tønder escalated ahead of the 2021 municipal election. Frandsen was accused of poor communication with the party’s local members and failing to manage the municipality’s finances effectively ([link](https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/regionale/syd/venstre-borgmester-i-toender-vraget-paa-en-mark-af-sit-eget-bagland)).

In June 2020, businessman Martin Iversen challenged Frandsen for the party’s top candidate position. Frandsen lost the internal election and was once again rejected.

This led to further unrest within Venstre in Tønder. Frandsen remained mayor but denied Iversen, who was not a council member at the time, access to Venstre’s group meetings and refused to support him as a mayoral candidate.

Today, Martin Iversen does not look back on that period with ill will.

- I later drank beer with Henrik Frandsen, and we can certainly sit at the same table today, says Martin Iversen.

However, the situation was untenable, and in October 2020, the then-mayor left Venstre alongside six other council members, founding *Tønder Listen* (Tønder List).

Henrik Frandsen and Martin Iversen at the 2021 municipal election celebration. (Photo: © Mikkel Berg Pedersen, Freelance/Ritzau Scanpix)

At the subsequent 2021 municipal election, the newly formed list stormed into Tønder’s council as the largest party. Frandsen, once again the municipality’s top vote-getter with nearly double the votes of the second-place candidate – Jørgen Popp Petersen from the *Slesvigsk Parti* (South Jutland Party) – secured the position.

However, Frandsen was not re-elected as mayor, as Venstre, Social Democrats, Conservatives, *Ny Borgerlige* (New Liberals), and *Borgerlisten* (Citizens’ List) all backed the *Slesvigsk Parti* candidate.

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**From Town Hall to the Castle**

In the summer of 2022, Henrik Frandsen joined under Lars Løkke Rasmussen’s new purple banner. He was nominated as the Moderates’ top candidate in the *Sydjyllands Storkreds* (South Jutland Constituency).

At the parliamentary election a few months later, Frandsen received the second-highest number of votes among the Moderates’ candidates – 6,206 voters in South Jutland marked their ballots with his name. The newly formed party entered the Folketing with 16 seats.

> I’ve stepped off the clown bus and thus won’t likely participate in describing the individual performers in that circus. But what’s written in my book about his leadership skills holds true.

> **Jeppe Søe**, Folketing member (former Moderate)

Frandsen quickly took on a central role in the new parliamentary group and was appointed group leader. In his first term in the Folketing, he has also held several spokesperson positions, including foreign affairs, agriculture, and climate, energy, and supply.

- Henrik Frandsen has been a completely central politician for the Moderates since the 2022 election. There has been plenty of turbulence and drama – but the party would have been driven even further into the ditch without an experienced and steady group leader like Frandsen, says DR’s political analyst Jens Ringberg.

Maintaining order in the parliamentary group as group leader has not always been a smooth ride for Frandsen. The party has seen many internal conflicts, and since the 2022 election, five members have left the Moderates. One of them is Jeppe Søe, who is now an independent and has written the book *Jeppe på Borgen* (*Jeppe at the Castle*) about his time with the Moderates.

Read also: *Moderates Replace Minister* ([link](https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/politik/moderaterne-skifter-ud-paa-ministerpost))

Jeppe Søe will not comment on Frandsen’s appointment as minister but writes in a message to *DR Nyheder* (DR News):

- I’ve stepped off the clown bus and thus won’t likely participate in describing the individual performers in that circus. But what’s written in my book about his leadership skills holds true.

In Søe’s book, an entire section is dedicated to Frandsen’s leadership abilities, where he is described as a recurring "disruptive force who destroys the possibility of the unity that Jeppe had envisioned."

DR has shared Søe’s quote with Frandsen, who has not responded.

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