What do farmers expect from Schouten?

The new cabinet of Mark Rutte will be sworn in today, Thursday 26 October. For the first time in 7 years, agriculture has its own department and its own minister, namely Carola Schouten of ChristenUnie. What do farmers expect from her and which agricultural items should Schouten work with first?

The sector organizations were very pleased. The agricultural sector craved a minister with a peasant heart and got this one. Schouten is a farmer's daughter and, according to insiders, has extensive file knowledge. What subjects should she tackle first now that she is sworn in? 

Positive reactions
Eline Vedder, dairy farmer from Ruinerwold (Drenthe): "I'm positive about her. I don't know her yet, but I think it's very positive that she's from the ChristenUnie. And it's great that she has a farming background. She's done well on agriculture lately. That's a good base from which she can move forward."

Connect more
She hopes that Carola Schouten will communicate more about how she views the sector and that she will positively emphasize the Dutch agricultural sector. "I missed that at Van Dam". She also hopes that she will connect more. "We've seen lately that debates are getting more and more exaggerated. I hope she can connect more, that makes for better debates."

Warm heart
Also John Hogenkamp, ​​pig farmer in Dalfsen (Overijssel) thinks Carola Schouten is a good minister. "She has a good agricultural background and is passionate about the sector. She is straightforward and consistent," says Hogenkamp. "She must continue that. Unlike former State Secretary Sharon Dijksma, who has started to put a brake on phosphate production. When it comes to Lelystad Airport, no brakes are applied there. That is contradictory policy."

Own ministry is necessary
Vedder: "The sector needs its own ministry. It is not an ordinary sector and therefore does not belong to Economic Affairs (EZ). In agriculture, decisions have to be made on a basis other than money. Some things should not be left to the market "Then you ignore a number of important issues, such as the environment and animal welfare. It's not just about the product, but also how it is produced." 

Hogenkamp thinks a ministry is necessary. He considers food production an important sport. "Food is a primary necessity of life and that does not just come out of the blue, it deserves well-behaved policy," says Hogenkamp. "Nobody can go a week without food, but without defence."

Internship
"When this minister takes office, she will first have to do an internship at various farmers for a week," says Eline Vedder. "After that, she has to negotiate the new derogation. That is really in a hurry, we have to ensure that it is brought in as soon as possible."

"The fipronil affair must also get her attention," says Vedder. "I am curious how she looks at this and how we are going to help the poultry sector," says Vedder. She expects a different position from the VVD, which labeled it as a business risk.

Family businesses
Finally, Vedder is very happy with the extra money that the young farmers are promised. Vedder hopes that a lot of attention will be paid to business transfers. "The phenomenon of family businesses, which is unique for this sector and which suits the Netherlands. It would be a shame if that disappears and we get major American situations."

Listening to the farmers
Manure processor Gerard Oude Lenferink in Fleringen (Overijssel) wants Schouten to set up sounding board groups with farmers and agribusiness, so that the sector feels heard. "She should no longer stack line upon line, but come up with real solutions. Schouten must do this together with people from agriculture." 

He also believes that the abolition of the POR scheme should be reversed as soon as possible. Oude Lenferink would also like to see farmers get a better grip on the market. "The position of the farmer in the chain must become stronger. Schouten has to get to work on this very quickly."

Warm remediation
Hogenkamp also mentions the warm remediation of pig farming, for which the cabinet is earmarking €200 million. “She has to finish difficult files first, such as the phosphate policy and bringing in a derogation. She also has to work on a good use of the money that will be made available for the warm remediation of the pig farm. She must first complete these current affairs properly and then she must work on innovation and vitalization in agriculture. Carola has to pick this up and finish it."

Co-author is Esther de Snoo

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