News Politics
CDA: more than 20 billion for agricultural change
The CDA wants to invest €10 to €15 billion annually over the next 1,5 to 2 years in making the agricultural sector future-proof. This money must, among other things, be invested in nature and landscape management that agricultural entrepreneurs can carry out. This allows them to supplement their income for a more extensive form of agriculture.
This is stated in the new vision 'Perspective for farmers' that the CDA presented today (July 6), the day before the farmers' protests. This vision was drawn up by Derk Boswijk, the new agricultural spokesperson for the CDA in the House of Representatives.
No forced buy-out
Although the national media concludes that the CDA has made a turn and is in favor of reducing livestock, Boswijk emphasizes in the view that shrinkage is not a goal. "We are not in favor of a specific target for livestock shrinkage." Forced buy-out of agricultural companies is also out of the question for the CDA, Boswijk emphasizes in an interview with the AD. Forced buy-out of farmers remains out of the question for the CDA.
But that if the plans of the CDA are implemented, it is an inevitable consequence. "I am convinced of that, but in a way that offers perspective for farmers," said Boswijk in the interview. In its vision, the CDA writes: "The environmental space and the carrying capacity of the living environment determine the space that will be available for livestock farming. The farmer will be given a much more prominent role in the management and beautification of our landscape, whereby the quality of nature will increase and the farmer's perspective will improve."
More breathing room for farmers
In the vision, the CDA identifies 3 bottlenecks in which the party would like to see solutions. Instead of the government's ever-increasing desire for regulation, the farmer must be given more breathing room. From market value, the agricultural sector must also realize social value. And soil health needs to be improved.
For solutions in these 3 areas, agricultural entrepreneurs must collaborate with citizens and politicians in developing a more sustainable and innovative agriculture. For example, according to the CDA, agricultural entrepreneurs should in future be judged more on the basis of predetermined targets. "In recent decades, the sector has had to deal with an immense amount of regulations, based on policies that are also constantly changing. This put pressure on the business model."
Government should reward farmers
According to the party, trust must be central to the new agricultural policy and entrepreneurs must be judged on goals that have been set for the long term. In addition, not only 'market value' should be central, but also social value such as landscape maintenance, water purification or carbon sequestration. The government should reward entrepreneurs who do this. According to the party, 'quick money and the deepest pockets should not be leading' in agriculture, but the development of prosperity in the broadest sense: economically, ecologically and socially.
Steve Wissink
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