'Don't take fertile soil out of production'

Negotiations on the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will continue in Brussels on Thursday and Friday (24 and 25 June). In a letter to minister Carola Schouten, LTO Nederland and the NAJK express their concerns about the effects of the European measures that are now on the table.

The 2 organizations ask Schouten to take a firmer position in the negotiations on a number of points. This concerns, for example, the construction of buffer strips along watercourses, requirements for crop rotation or other measures such as crop diversification and the designation of agricultural areas as non-productive areas.

Expensive land
The proposals that are now circulating in the so-called super trilogue - the negotiations between the European Agriculture Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission - are far too far-reaching, according to LTO Nederland and the NAJK. "The proposals that are circulating put even more pressure on land. We have a shortage of space in the Netherlands, with the highest land prices in Europe. Taking fertile agricultural land out of production puts further pressure on farmers' incomes, affects Dutch farmers harder than European colleagues, and is a sign of little awareness of the importance of Dutch food production," writes Sjaak van der Tak, chairman of LTO Netherlands in an explanation of the letter.

In order to qualify for income support from the CAP, farmers have to meet all kinds of conditions. Those conditions are determined during the negotiations. The new CAP also introduces so-called eco-schemes, which allow agriculture to make an additional contribution to European environmental and climate objectives. A large proportion of farmers are partly dependent on CAP funds for their income. LTO and NAJK therefore emphasize that it is of great importance that the (basic) conditions in the CAP must be feasible.

Jurphaas Lugtenburg

He is a market specialist in grains and other agricultural commodities at DCA Market Intelligence. He also focuses on onions, potatoes, and roughage. Jurphaas also runs an arable farm in Voorne-Putten (South Holland).

j.lugtenburg @boerenbusiness. Nl

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