D66 'er De Groot now also bitten dog in the Chamber

His statement about halving the livestock was the straw that broke the camel's back, causing the largest farmers' protest ever in The Hague exactly one year ago. A year later, D66 member Tjeerd de Groot was also mocked by fellow politicians.

This morning (Thursday 1 October) at the start of the parliamentary debate 'Agriculture, Climate and Food', Tjeerd de Groot, Member of Parliament for D66, was allowed to take the lead. He listed a whole list of shortcomings and shortcomings in the agricultural sector, such as deterioration of soil quality and biodiversity and dehydration. "It can't go on like this, it really has to change." De Groot is a passionate advocate of circular agriculture on a regional scale.

D66's role in government
Members of parliament after another, whether they were members of the opposition parties or coalition parties, were annoyed by De Groot's contribution, especially because his group is also part of the governing coalition. VVD member Helma Lodders indicated that she did not want to participate in an election debate, but that she would like to follow the agenda of the General Consultation. PvdA member William Moorlag quoted a farmer from Groningen who is said to have said that 'De Groot cannot piss a hole in the snow yet'. He wanted to say that D66, as a coalition party, bears government responsibility and that De Groot's criticism of the state of affairs in the agricultural sector is criticism of the role of his own party, which is part of the government.

Insufficient soil-bound growth
SP member Frank Futselaar cited as an example a motion on fully land-based livestock farming that he submitted last year and was not supported by D66. This came up because Roelof Bisschop of the SGP reminded De Groot of his position as NZO director, before he became a Member of Parliament for D66. The anger of farmers could largely be traced back to this, since De Groot argued for an increase in dairy farming at the time. "Sustainable growth", was De Groot's response. "But that was made impossible by politics because the growth was insufficiently linked to land. D66 has advocated 100% land-based growth." De Groot also believes that the dairy chain itself has failed to allow only sustainable growth.

De Groot was accused by coalition partner Carla Dik-Faber (ChristenUnie) that he would not be clear about halving the livestock. Does he only mean pig and poultry farming, or also dairy farming?" Jaco Geurts of the CDA concluded that De Groot has no idea what consequences his plea for a halving of the livestock has for employment.

Circular Agriculture Paperwork
De Groot defended himself against all criticism of his attitude in the parliamentary debate with the saying that 'you can lead a horse to the source, but you cannot force the horse to drink.' He has submitted a whole series of motions to promote the transition to circular agriculture, but has to conclude that it remains mainly paperwork and is insufficiently implemented. "The transition requires that you actually take steps day after day".

Pvda member William Moorlag pointed out that he can also submit a motion of censure if D66 is so dissatisfied with the state of affairs in the agricultural sector and the switch to circular agriculture.

© DCA Market Intelligence. This market information is subject to copyright. It is not permitted to reproduce, distribute, disseminate or make the content available to third parties for compensation, in any form, without the express written permission of DCA Market Intelligence.