Abroad continues to attract Dutch farmer

Agricultural entrepreneurs who consider emigrating often follow through with these plans. Most farmers who take the plunge now have had plans to emigrate for some time. The nitrogen problem is only partly related to this, although the atmosphere surrounding nitrogen has further fueled the enthusiasm for emigration.

This is what Janneke Smedema, marketing employee at Interfarms, tells us. The number of farmers who are going to run an agricultural business abroad is increasing. According to Smedema, this can mainly be traced back to the abolition of the milk quota in 2015. Dairy farmers who in the following years focused on emigration, are often now taking the step. “Emigration is not an overnight plan for agricultural entrepreneurs. An entrepreneur has often been using this for a long time.”

Visa not self-evident
Arable farmers have shown more interest in recent years, but dairy farmers still form the bulk of the entrepreneurs who make the step abroad for agricultural purposes. Canada, Germany and Denmark are the most chosen destinations. For Canada, it has not been so easy for farmers to qualify for a permanent visa for 2 years now. "We also deal with visa applications for Canada through a subsidiary. These are lengthy processes, although we are sometimes able to offer a suitable alternative through provincial programs," Smedema notes.

The nitrogen problem has led to a growing interest in emigration, Smedema reports. The information meetings organized by Interfarms at the beginning of the year were busier than in previous years. But whether the farmers also translate the interest into concrete interest and orientation remains to be seen. “In addition, the nitrogen crisis is still ongoing. As a result, the situation has changed little and farmers may also be looking out of the woods until it is clear what the new nitrogen policy means for them.”

Less easy to orientate
The current corona crisis does not put farmers with concrete emigration plans in a pinch, as far as Smedema can oversee. Farmers are, however, less able to orientate themselves on the destinations and the entire emigration process. “Until now, the virus has not prevented entire processes from going ahead,” says Smedema. “In addition, there is less contact from the farmers at this time of year. They are now mainly busy with the spring work and so they simply have less time for it now.”

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