'Reducing greenhouse gases is ambitious'

The coalition agreement was published on Tuesday 10 October. It is received positively on many points, for example the extension of the Competition Act and the generally binding declaration (AVV) are welcomed. The reduction of greenhouse gases is very ambitious and the extra money for young farmers is well received.

Dirk de Lugt, chairman of Branche Organization Arable Farming (BO) is very surprised about the news that there may be no agriculture minister comes† "This is important, because the Netherlands is the second largest agricultural exporter in the world. In addition, the entire world looks to the Netherlands when it comes to knowledge. It is also true that every country has its own minister, except the Netherlands."

Teun de Jong, chairman of the Dutch arable farming trade union (NAV), says: "Even if there is no agriculture ministry, there can be advantages. For example, if the state secretary is given the title of minister, then he has the authority to attend the cabinet meeting. to be."

Competition law amended
The extension of the Competition Act is also positive. "Farmers and horticulturists currently determine no more than 5% of the market. The NAV is very curious about how the expansion will turn out. I do argue in favor of a significantly higher share for agriculture, otherwise it will continue to roar like a mouse to an elephant" , said DeJong. He also hopes that the farmer's share will grow to 50%. "The agricultural sector then has an enormous challenge to make use of that."

Gijs Kuneman, director of the Center for Agriculture and the Environment (CLM), adds: "The proposed adjustment of competition policy is good news. For example, sectors and chains can make agreements about joint sustainability. Via an AVV we can also move those left behind. to get."

Funding research collectively 
According to the coalition agreement, an AVV will also be established, with which collective research can be financed. "It does not yet state that BO Akkerbouw can use the soil data from RVO. With this we can ensure that everyone has to contribute," says De Jong.

“We have to do this together as a sector. We are now living on the old reserves of the former product boards. As a result, it is not possible to invest in crop research." Dirk de Lugt also reflects this problem. "Hopefully the new cabinet will get this done."

Increase organic matter content in soilSoil fertility is also mentioned in the new coalition agreement. The arable sector has the opportunity to contribute to increasing the organic matter content in the soil. 

Teun de Jong would like to see land no longer offered on short-term lease. "This is at the expense of the organic matter content in the soil, which is at odds with the policy to be pursued by the Rutte III cabinet. We would also like to see the standards within the fertilizer legislation expanded for a higher organic matter content in the soil."

Reduction of greenhouse gases ambitious
The coalition agreement contains a major task for all sectors, including the agricultural sector, to reduce methane emissions. "The target of 49% is extremely ambitious," responds Dirk de Lugt. The European standard is 40%. The Netherlands wants to go further than that standard. "This is a fact and so we face a big challenge, but we know where we have to go."

Increasing the burden
The fact that the VAT rate is going up is perceived as a disadvantage. The rate increases by 3%. Teun de Jong: "This puts enormous pressure on purchasing prices and that affects the consumer." 

Dirk de Lugt sees the changes in the kilometer charge for transport traffic as disadvantageous. "This levy creates a high cost item in the transport sector. This increase will eventually have to be paid. Corporate tax, on the other hand, decreases from 25% to 21%."

Green education
Green education goes to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). "I think this is a worrying point. This is because specific knowledge is disappearing from education and this is necessary for high-quality education. It is positive that extra money is being earmarked for green education and that the cutbacks are being reversed," says De Lugt .

He is also positive about the investment of €75 million for young farmers. “This can ease corporate takeovers and aid investment in business development.”

Water quality
Gijs Kuneman of the CLM is satisfied with the government's efforts to improve water quality. “Such regional customization is really necessary because of differences in soil and water such as stream valleys, peat meadows, low polders and subsidence between regions. This is important for water quality as well as for climate adaptation."

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