News Nitrogen
Agriculture Collective: 'No agreement, but agreements'
The Agricultural Collective has made agreements with the cabinet about nitrogen reduction. However, there is no definitive agreement. The cabinet promises that there will be no generic contraction and forced buy-out. Funding and further elaboration of the plan are still being worked on.
On Tuesday evening, December 17, it seemed as if there had been a final agreement between the cabinet and the Agricultural Collective. A Babylonian confusion of tongues arose after Minister Carola Schouten (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) said that an agreement had been reached during the discussion of the emergency nitrogen law in the Senate. Subsequently, Nieuwe Oogst, the members' magazine of LTO Nederland, published an article containing details of the plan. Afterwards, this was discussed by several parties within the Agricultural Collective, including Farmers Defense Force, emphatically contradicted.
No agreement, but agreements have been made
On Wednesday morning, December 18, the Agricultural Collective announced that agreements have been made with the cabinet. A statement states that the short-term measures have broad support and are also practicable. For example, less protein-rich cattle feed will be administered, as is included in the emergency nitrogen law. In cattle farming, extra grazing and the dilution of manure with water have also been chosen.
The preconditions that the government has promised for the longer term are crystal clear in several respects. In addition to the fact that a generic contraction and forced buy-out will come to an end, there will be 1 provincial policy regarding internal and external netting. It is less clear how exactly the latent space and the leasing of that space are handled.
An egg must also be laid about how to prevent production space from flowing away from agriculture to the other sectors. The cabinet has expressed the intention to prevent companies from being bought up unchecked, the Agricultural Collective will be involved in this.
In January further
The agreements that have been made can be seen as an interim result. According to Aalt Dijkhuizen, the chairman of the Agricultural Collective, there are still many complicated steps to take. Talks will continue in January. Then there is the financial picture.
Wouter Job
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