News Nitrogen
This is how the nitrogen rules of Carola Schouten are
The cabinet is making more than half a billion euros available to reduce nitrogen. Those who stay are entitled to €172 million to make them more sustainable, while €350 million will go to the casual buy-up of stopping livestock farmers. If necessary, extra money will also go to the Warm Sanering in pig farming.
Agriculture Minister Carola Schouten announced this on Friday afternoon (February 7) in a Letter to Parliament† The news in itself should not be a big surprise anymore and was already leaked a few days ago. The rules of the game, on the other hand, were still largely unknown.
Voluntary buy-out
The cabinet and the provinces have jointly agreed to prevent the uncontrolled buy-up of farms. In other words, quitting is voluntary. This meets one of the requirements of the Agricultural Collective. With this decision, external netting will soon be possible again.
When livestock farms are bought up by the government, the animal rights are withdrawn. This does not happen when agricultural entrepreneurs are bought up by private parties, such as construction companies. Then the animal rights remain freely tradable and those who stay can buy these rights for business development. It will also be possible to lease the latent nitrogen space outside the agricultural sector. Exactly how this will work has yet to be agreed with the provinces. The cabinet and the provinces also do not want to make grazing and fertilization subject to a permit.
Conversion fund and extra money
The cabinet will guide farmers in making choices towards further sustainability or closure of their businesses. Probably to prevent farmers from putting off their choices and delaying the process. Coaches are appointed for this. There will also be regional meetings. The government is also introducing a conversion fund for farmers who want to extensify or switch to circular agriculture. This fund is still being set up. It is not yet clear how much money will go to this fund.
Schouten also states in the letter to parliament that extra money may be going to the Warm Sanering in pig farming. The applications of all registered stoppers will be honored in any case, Schouten promises. The budget of €180 million may therefore be supplemented. The question is whether all 503 registered stoppers actually threw in the towel. The Rabobank expects that many subscribers still decide to continue farming.
Measures expensive
The Agricultural Collective is not happy with the €350 million that is going to buy up farms. Chairman Aalt Dijkhuizen speaks of an 'expensive measure', which also produces little nitrogen reduction. Dijkhuizen said this after the consultation that the Agricultural Collective had with the cabinet this morning. The contents of the letter to parliament were not yet known at the time. According to the Agricultural Collective, little progress has been made in the consultations. No agreement has been reached on some hard points. The next meeting is scheduled for mid-March.
Milieudefensie, on the other hand, thinks €350 million is far too little. "The cabinet refuses to opt for sustainable agriculture and only takes the sharp edges of a stuck system." The environmental lobbyists want the cabinet to invest €22 billion over a period of 20 years, analogous to a Greenpeace study. During that period, agriculture must be transformed into organic circular agriculture.
Wouter Job
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