News Roelof Bishop
'We have made the Nitrogen Act less bad'
While most of the intended agricultural spokespersons are newcomers, Roelof Bisschop (64) has been in the House of Representatives for 8 years. With place 3 on the list it's all about tense. The SGP scores between 2 and 4 seats in the polls. As far as the MP is concerned, an extra seat will be added and he will also remain in the House for the next 4 years.
You are a farmer's son yourself. How has the agricultural sector changed in recent decades?
"I am of the age when, as a kid, in the early 60s, the horse left and the tractor came. There was a whole mechanization process and it lasted for 20 to 25 years. The focus was on scaling up. The Dutch and European agricultural policy was: production increased, with a low cost price. The milk and egg prices have therefore hardly changed. As an adolescent, I remember the discussion at my parents' kitchen table: what does it mean for the way of farming? My parents did not make that choice As a result, where you could still earn a good living at the end of the 60s, it was no longer profitable 10 to 15 years later. The intended successor died and my parents ended the company when they were 65."
"We have all come to realize that increasing production and more intensive fertilization has disastrous consequences for nature and the environment. A nature policy was developed that was subsequently split off from the agricultural policy. Nature had to be added, but at the expense of agriculture, without agricultural policy being affected. was changed. The low cost remained and on the other side came the pressure: nature-inclusive, animal welfare. But you can't recover the costs from anything."
Do you understand that many farmers have lost faith in politics?
"Agriculture has come into a complete jam. Confidence in government policy has fallen far below zero. Having seen it happen from within myself, I can imagine what affects the farmer and moves them to explore other avenues outside government. I agree that we have to move towards a new balance. When the term circular agriculture was introduced, it seemed that this should be completed by 2025. I said: it took 2 generations, this may also take 1 generation. That was swearing in the church, but that is the practice. You cannot make such a change in one cabinet term. I go on a lot of working visits. What is always striking is that farmers are willing to contribute ideas, but they want clarity and They want to know whether they will have earned back an investment in 1 or 10 years, and not be confronted with additional measures in 15 years."
As an opposition party, your party has supported the Nitrogen Act, with the tightening up the nature targets: halving nitrogen emissions in 2035 compared to 2019. You are blamed for that. Why did the SGP vote for the Nitrogen Act?
"I always explain honestly: there was already a majority before that law without us, we wouldn't have had to participate, so voting against it wouldn't have mattered. By participating in the political agreements, we could make things less bad. We said : 'We will vote against, unless significant improvements are made.' That rotten extreme demand of 2035 was cycled in by the left. The idiotic arrangement of reduction targets in 2035 is completely unfeasible. We voted against that amendment. There are areas where, if you remove all the people from the region, you still do not achieve those targets If we have a chance, we will tear down the target that is unachievable and unaffordable, which can start with an evaluation."
"The most important requirement to vote for the law was that there would be an agricultural agreement. Had we been sidelined, we could have made motions. We could have made good political decorations, but down the line we would have meant nothing for the sector. Then you can also mean nothing for the PAS reporters and the reporting-free activities. We have met those points: solving PAS jam cases before 2023 is legally anchored. The original bill contained a professional ban for farmers who were bought out. should never be allowed to work in agriculture again. Too foolish for words. Bottom line, there are more pluses than minuses. The law would have been passed anyway. We have been able to make the law less bad on these points."
The election program states that farmers can only produce a sustainable product if you get a fair price for it. How do you take care of that?
"That is very complex. The agricultural agreement is crucial for this. It ensures that all ranks in the chain come into their own. The farmer is now too often a kind of closing item in the price determination. Albert Heijn has taken initiatives and you have PlanetProof. It is also worth listening to Farmers Defense Force: how can you design it so that farmers get the price they need. Farmers are not in a position to actively influence the price positively."
There are many newcomers among the targeted agriculture spokespersons. You are already in the Chamber, but it is all about tension. The polls alternate with 2 to 4 seats. Why is it important for farmers that you stay in the Chamber?
"The sector needs people who know the world from within, who sit down and listen to problems and concerns, and who in any case have a long-term vision and who stand for it. Don't cry with wolves in the forest. It is important that the sector has strong representatives. For years I argued for an agricultural agreement. None of that could come about, until we put this on the table as a wish in the context of the debate about the Nitrogen Act, then suddenly it was possible. Now the SER has been requested to lead the discussions and come to an agreement. I would also like to sit there for a while."
"I am proud that I have achieved this. Why do I remain motivated to do this dossier? I see how easily agriculture is used as a head of jut, without the government realizing that it has caused the problems itself by certain demands to set."
Linda van Eekeres
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