'Down with nature-inclusive agriculture'

'Farmers must learn to think differently if they want to be prepared for climate change, food health and to keep the countryside vital', said Hans Huijbers, chairman of ZLTO, on Thursday 1 June at the NRC event AgriFood & Tech in Almere, which was supported by Boerenbusiness.

'The profession of farmers is to care for the soil, crops and animals,' Huijbers began. He denounces the term agricultural entrepreneur. 'I want to get rid of that notion. A farmer is a caretaker. The farmer must regain his strength.'

Huijbers refers here to other sectors. For example, a baker is also simply called a baker and not an entrepreneur, argues Huijbers. 'Every farmer who is bombed into an entrepreneur by some knowledge institution must be fired immediately', Huijbers tells those present, semi-angrily.

In addition to taking care of the soil, his crops and the animals, the farmer will also ensure that the countryside remains vital. 'Keeping the countryside vital is becoming increasingly important as cities grow. The countryside must remain attractive, especially now that the cities are getting bigger. Farmers are the solution.'

Nature-inclusive agriculture is a farce
Huijbers also reacts sharply to nature-inclusive agriculture. A method in which agriculture and nature go hand in hand and often goes even further than organic farming. 'That will never happen in Brabant or the Flevopolders, where monocultures rule. Nature-inclusive agriculture is the party of the nature organizations. Farmers go over the soil and take care of it as well as possible. Don't come to him about this kind of nonsense.' 

Trots
Agriculture has come a long way in sustainability, says Huijbers. 'A third of all green energy produced is agriculture-related. We are the largest supplier of solar power. We can be proud of that. However, there are still plenty of steps to take. We mustn't lose sight of that.' 

Angry about solar farms
He reacts furiously to the trend of solar farms. 'Nobody tells me that solar farms are good for the ecosystem. Shame, shame, shame on you', he shouts to those present. 'Sun fields is the biggest bullshit there is.'

According to Huijbers, precision agriculture will ensure that we mainly need to use less crop protection products. Weeds will be controlled with drones and robots. 'Herbicides will become obsolete in the future.'

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