News Cabinet formation
LTO: Legally pull out all the stops against mass expropriation
When mass expropriation becomes government policy, LTO Nederland will support farmers to legally challenge expropriation cases. "This will result in years of delay", LTO chairman Sjaak van der Tak warns on the organization's website. However, he seems to be on a par with CDA member Derk Boswijk, who no longer completely excludes (small-scale) expropriation.
In the corridors there is talk about a plan to solve the nitrogen problem that will cost at least €25 billion over the next ten years. According to LTO chairman Sjaak van der Tak, 'the aforementioned budget of more than 20 billion' is absolutely necessary for existing proposals from farmers, entrepreneurs and nature organizations. "They have an inviting effect with a focus on innovation, extensification, voluntary relocation and voluntary buy-out", that's how he writes in response to reports from the NOS.
NOS talks about a nitrogen plan, which takes steps towards new forms of agriculture, but also better water quality, space for homes and climate measures. At the end of May, LTO, together with nature organizations Natuurmonumenten and Natuur & Milieu and business organizations VNO-NCW and Bouwend Nederland, came out with your own nitrogen plan to be included in the cabinet formation. Under that plan, a total of €15,3 billion is needed to invest in broad innovation in agriculture, voluntary relocation of peak loaders and the voluntary buyout of quitters. The land that becomes available is then used for the extensification of the 'permanent' farms. "I know that those plans are on top of the pile to be tackled," said Van der Tak last Sunday (24 October) in the Buitenhof program.
Coalition organizes its own resistance
For more than six months, more and more reports have been published in which expropriation is mentioned as a means of creating nitrogen space. The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency recently calculated two scenarios whereby in one of the scenarios more than €2,5 billion is earmarked for expropriation, mainly of dairy farms around Natura 2000 areas.
Yesterday it turned out that also for the forming party that was always firmly against - the CDA - expropriation no longer taboo is. Van der Tak says about this: "You absolutely cannot solve the nitrogen problem by focusing unilaterally on expropriation. Certainly not with an eye on the area processes with our farmers. Give it a chance! If expropriation is the goal, then you are not on the right track. route and the new coalition organizes its own resistance. Farmers – supported by LTO – will then do everything they can legally (sec), with years of delay as a result."
The LTO chairman does not think it will come to that. "That is neither necessary nor desirable. I am convinced that the forthcoming coalition parties will therefore take other steps than indicated in the reports." Van der Tak, who is a member of the CDA, also seems to be on the same page as CDA Member of Parliament and agricultural spokesman Derk Boswijk. He told the NOS yesterday: "I will not rule out the possibility that you will never get an obligation somewhere. (...) You have a hundred farmers who want to turn left and five who want nothing at all. Yes, then it will stop."
Sjaak van der Tak made a similar statement in Buitenhof on Sunday: "The most important element is that with farmers you ensure that you see in an area who can and cannot continue, who can or cannot stop. And based on that if - let's say - out of 25 farmers there are two who say: well, but I'm not participating in that. Look, then I think a means such as targeted, very individually applied expropriation is justified. But note: I'm never in favor of day one deployment of mass expropriation."
Linda van Eekeres
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