The first building blocks for the National Strategic Plan have been laid. The aim is to have completed 70% of the plan by the end of the year. The elaboration should then be completed in 2021. How is the Common Agricultural Policy and its implementation in the Netherlands?
The National Strategic Plan (NSP) is a Dutch elaboration of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Since the European decision-making has not yet been completed, the two ministry employees can now do no more than lay down building blocks and that phase must be 2% completed before the end of this year. "We are currently still trying to figure out what exactly is in that toolbox."
What is certain is that the new CAP is aimed at future-proof farmers, including through eco-schemes. "For the Netherlands, we have translated the CAP into 2 elements: farmers must be able to continue farming in the future. The income, innovative power and agility of farmers count heavily. Secondly, more attention must be paid for greening, the environment, biodiversity, nature and the Paris Climate Agreement," Offringa and Tabak explain.
How much greening is necessary?
The European Union has stated that greater efforts are required to achieve the objectives of the Climate Agreement. "The Netherlands is particularly efficient, a very large exporter and many member states view this with great admiration, but this does have consequences for our CO2 footprint. For example, the Netherlands is lagging far behind when it comes to focusing on nitrogen emissions and increasing biodiversity. " So it is time for a different mindset. A school of thought that focuses more on greening. But how far do we go?
If it were up to the 'green parties', the answer to the question would be 'far'. So are they unsatisfied with the compromises that have been made. "In the Green Deal, just like in the CAP, no binding targets have been set. In other words: if we as the Netherlands want to set stricter requirements, that is possible. In the NSP we are still investigating whether that is possible. This is how the use of less crop protection and fewer antibiotics was discussed. However, no decisions have been made on this yet." However, according to policy staff, it is incorrect to say that the Green Deal is not possible with this variant of the CAP.
But, we also need to look at what countries around us are doing. "After all, we work on an international market. We cannot suddenly be the best kid in the class and then have to compromise on our export position." That is why the freedom of choice offered by the new CAP is being viewed with enthusiasm. In this way, many agricultural entrepreneurs can decide for themselves which measures suit their company. "This is the only way we can encourage farmers to do something on this list." It should not be the case, as the European Parliament proposes, that the European Union draws up a list of measures from which countries can choose.
As most people are now aware, the positive steps that farmers take are rewarded in the eco schemes. The basic premium will therefore be smaller than what the farmer is currently used to. "This is partly because part of this is deducted for the eco schemes. It has not yet been determined exactly how much that is." The current greening conditions are included in the basic premium.
The next steps
A number of pilots have already been started, the so-called 'GLB pilots'. "In these pilots, we will work with farmers to see what works and what does not. There are now 7 pilots running in the country, 6 of which are regional and 1 national. Stakeholders are also involved." Tabak and Offringa indicate that these pilots are essential for the development of the NSP. "Our goal is to create a plan that will make farmers say: 'We are participating'. This is only possible if we know their experiences with certain measures."
The policy staff indicate that next year will be an important year. That is the year in which the draft plan must be completed and sent. "The goal is to have approximately 2021% of the NSP completed by the summer of 95. All final decisions will be made in the second half of 2021, in consultation with the new cabinet." That is also somewhat exciting. The differences in emphasis (such as the pace and the extent to which the change is made) can make a significant difference in the NSP. "At the end of 2021, the plan must then be sent to the European Commission for verification. The final step will then be negotiations." The difficult thing is that the final choices have not yet been made in Europe. "The hope is that this will have happened in the summer of 2021. Otherwise we will have a tight schedule."
This is the first article in the series about the new Common Agricultural Policy. In the second article, which will be published on December 11, we zoom in on Minister Carola Schouten's response to the new Agricultural Policy. View all articles about the CAP here.