The burden on farmers will increase least at CDA and ChristenUnie

At the CDA and the ChristenUnie, the burden on farmers and horticulturists increases the least, at D66, GroenLinks, the PvdA and the SP the most. This is reported by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL). At the request of the CDA, D66, GroenLinks, the SP, the PvdA and the ChristenUnie, CPB has analyzed their election programs for effects on the living environment. 

The results were presented this morning (March 1). The Central Planning Bureau published the calculation of the election programs of 10 political parties. These were VVD, CDA, D66, GroenLinks, SP, PvdA, ChristenUnie, SGP, Denk and 50Plus. "Almost all parties increase government spending and give a boost to the economy. Moreover, we see that all parties are increasing the costs for companies and that most parties are shifting financial burdens to future generations," says CPB director Pieter Hasekamp.

PBL therefore only analyzed the election programs of 6 parties. The costs of the packages of measures to reduce emissions from agriculture and improve biodiversity amount to approximately 1 billion euros per year (CDA, SP and ChristenUnie), 1,3 billion euros per year (PvdA), 1,6 billion euros per year (D66) and 1,9 billion euros per year (GroenLinks).

The national costs do not say everything about the costs for individual farmers and horticulturists, PBL reports. "These charges are determined by the costs of mandatory measures, whether farmers have to deal with subsidies and levies and whether or not these levies flow back to the sector. The costs for farmers and horticulturists increase least at the CDA and the ChristenUnie, at D66 , GroenLinks, the PvdA and the SP the most."

All parties are committed to reducing nitrogen deposition and improving biodiversity, only the way in which this is done differs. "The CDA wants to keep livestock farming and agricultural land at its current size and therefore does not convert agricultural land into nature. The CDA therefore spends its budget for nature entirely on restoring existing nature."

Shrinking livestock
D66, GroenLinks, the PvdA, the SP and to a lesser extent the ChristenUnie are committed to shrinking livestock. PBL: "In addition to restoring existing nature, these parties also want more space for new nature and extensive agriculture on land that is currently used by conventional agriculture. These parties also want to use more money from the European Common Agricultural Policy for agricultural nature and landscape management. "

D66, GroenLinks and the PvdA reduce ammonia emissions the most, according to PBL. "They do this mainly by shrinking the livestock. D66 and GroenLinks do this mainly through purchase schemes, the PvdA also shortens all companies on their animal and phosphate rights. The CDA, the ChristenUnie and the SP achieve approximately the same ammonia reduction, but less than the other three parties. The CDA achieves this reduction mainly through technical measures, the SP through reduction of livestock and the ChristenUnie through a combination of both."

According to the PBL, every package of measures to reduce nitrogen deposition and improve biodiversity in the 10 election programs is subject to implementation uncertainties. "With a view to emissions from livestock farming, the CDA, the ChristenUnie and D66 are strongly committed to technology that is still under development. This mainly concerns so-called integral low-emission barns (CDA and ChristenUnie) and barns in which no slurry is formed (D66 The question is whether this technology will become available in a timely manner and if it is applied on a large scale, it will be as effective as it has been found under experimental conditions," the analysis said. 

Business termination
The effectiveness of policy efforts to reduce livestock and agricultural area depends on large-scale closures in livestock farming, says PBL. "D66 and GroenLinks are committed to voluntary purchase. It is uncertain whether sufficient companies are willing to participate. The PvdA wants to cut farmers generically on animal and phosphate rights. The question is whether the judge will accept this cut, because the economic damage that companies incur as a result may be disproportionate to the compensation budget that the PvdA makes available for this."

According to PBL, realizing the plans of D66, GroenLinks, the PvdA and the SP also requires large-scale conversion of conventional agricultural land to new nature or to extensive use for agriculture. "That requires a land development assignment with an area the size of the province of Utrecht. Finally, the ambition of most parties to spend part of the budget from the structural nitrogen approach of the Rutte III cabinet on new nature areas deviates from recent agreements between the national government and the provinces. In this agreement it was agreed not to spend money on extra nature development on top of the agreements in the Nature Pact. This ambition can only be realized if the provinces and the central government reconsider the agreements. the past proved difficult."

Change eating pattern
The parties will reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and land use by 2030 megatons (CDA) to 3 megatons (D8 and GroenLinks) in 66 compared to the baseline, according to PBL. "In addition to energy measures in greenhouse horticulture, shrinkage of livestock contributes most to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and horticulture."

PBL notes that reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Dutch agriculture does not mean that emissions decrease on a global scale. This also requires a change in the diet of the population. "The ChristenUnie, D66 and GroenLinks are therefore aiming to reduce the Dutch consumption of animal proteins, in particular by making meat more expensive. The price incentive that the ChristenUnie aims at is the strongest."

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