Schouten: 'We decide who we talk to'

Agriculture Minister Carola Schouten has suspended consultations with the Agricultural Collective for the time being. She is not pleased with the threatening language in a press release from Farmers Defense Force (FDF). In addition, the minister believes that she is free to talk to whomever she wants. 

In the press release, FDF announced have strong indications that Schouten is in talks with the parties in the chain, behind the back of the Agricultural Collective. It literally says: "Strong signals have come in that Schouten is calling the periphery for audience. The meat bosses, the dairy bosses, the feed farmers, the bankers and even the established order." In the press statement, FDF also threatens that if the periphery makes a deal with Schouten, the people in question will be 'out'.

Calls suspended 
Initially, Schouten and Prime Minister Mark Rutte were supposed to have a meeting with the Agricultural Collective this afternoon, but that has been cancelled. In view of the threatening language in the press statement of FDF, which is part of the Agricultural Collective, a conversation was not possible, according to a spokesperson for Schouten.

Tonight the Agricultural Collective will discuss how to deal with the situation that has arisen. The cabinet wants to talk further when FDF swallows the press statement again. The board of Farmers Defense Force informs its followers that the Agricultural Collective will not be separated. "Don't worry, the collective is stronger and is above it," the board reported in an app group on social media to questions from followers.

No excuses
FDF chairman Mark van den Oever says on the De Telegraaf website that Schouten does not have to count on an apology for the time being. "We sometimes use harsh words. If Schouten and Rutte can't stand that, they are delicate souls." Van den Oever says he is fine with the postponement of the consultation, as the Agricultural Collective is eagerly looking forward to the Mesdag Dairy Fund's calculations of the RIVM nitrogen data, a presentation of which is scheduled for 20 February.

Jeroen van Maanen, who conducts discussions with Rutte and Schouten in the Agricultural Collective on behalf of FDF, says in the same article that he was surprised by the statement of his own organization. He was not aware of that. On NPO Radio 1, Van Maanen indicated that he understood the warning addressed to the chain parties, regardless of the language used. He refers to the phosphate rights system. "There, the dairy industry has started to play a role in implementing and monitoring the rights. We now want to prevent such a situation."

In conversation with chain parties
According to the spokesperson, the cabinet is in talks with other chain parties. "The cabinet talks with the Agricultural Collective about nitrogen reduction, but also with other organizations. We are free to do so. When we talk about circular agriculture with chain parties, for example, it sometimes also concerns nitrogen reduction. Both topics overlap."

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