Agriculture Collective: 'There are still hurdles to overcome'

The Agriculture Collective aims to have clarity from the cabinet next week, Wednesday 5 February. Both parties will then continue discussing the nitrogen approach. The promises made by the government have yet to be finalized at a detailed level. An agreement is not yet a race.

During the famous Catshuis consultation, which took place at the end of last year, the cabinet has promised that there will be no generic contraction and forced buy-out of farms. A national nitrogen approach has also been promised, as has a reassessment of the Natura 2000 areas and the principle of 'measuring is knowing' when determining ammonia deposition.

The Agricultural Collective in turn provides nitrogen space that the cabinet can use for housing. Via already known measures (such as less protein-rich cattle feed, extra grazing and spreading manure mixed with water), the collective promises an ammonia reduction of at least 3 kilotons.

According to Aalt Dijkhuizen, chairman of the Agricultural Collective, it was emphatically not allowed to be called an agreement at the time. He was talking about 'appointments with the cabinet'† In other words: a kind of declaration of intent. How much the pledges are worth should be revealed next week when the details are discussed. 

'Still bumps to take'
According to the Agricultural Collective, a 'nitrogen deal' is not yet in sight. A press release states that there are still hurdles to be overcome. At the official level, therefore, there is currently a lot of consultation to equalize these. The aim is to arrive at a decision next week that everyone, including the provinces that are also joining the consultation, can agree with. 

The Agricultural Collective strives for agreements at a detailed level. The stakes are pretty clear. All points for discussion have been listed again in a public document. This shows that an agreement is not a certainty. After all, the details often determine the elaboration of the policy. The Cabinet and the Agricultural Collective are certainly not yet on the same page about the interpretation of internal and external balancing. 

It is also quite possible that The Hague will fill up with farmers next Wednesday. For example, Farmers Defense Force (FDF) has called on its supporters to en masse to travel to our political capital and in that way give the conversation more power. 

Click here to view the discussion points of the Agricultural Collective. 

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