'National frameworks for nitrogen policy necessary'

Representatives of pig farmers, poultry farmers, dairy farmers and arable farmers have in a letter called on ministers Henk Staghouwer (LNV) and Christianne van der Wal (Nature and Nitrogen) for consultations in which clear national agreements must be made regarding nitrogen policy. According to the advocates, this is necessary to create clarity and to achieve 'fruitful cooperation'.

The cabinet has earmarked €25 billion for, among other things, the buy-out of companies, the purchase of land and the implementation of innovations. It opts for an area-oriented approach in which the provinces take the lead. In view of the far-reaching consequences that the coalition agreement may have for individual agricultural companies, agreements must first be made at a national level with the parties involved, the chairmen of the Producers' Organization Pig Farming (POV), the Dutch Dairy Farmers' Union (NMV), the Dutch Poultry Farmers' Union (NVP) and the Dutch Arable Farming Union (NAV).

Agreements in three areas
According to the four unions, the coalition agreement and the large pile of nitrogen reports from last year have led to a lot of unrest and uncertainty for agricultural companies and their families. In order to provide perspective and clarity to families, policy frameworks must be created on a number of matters within which provincial policy-making will soon take place.

According to the POV, NMV, NVP and NAV, clear agreements must be made about the preconditions of the provincial 'area processes'. The care and independence of the ecological analyzes must also be guaranteed. In addition, according to the organizations it is important that farmers (including PAS reporters) have a say, legal certainty and legal protection.

Steve Wissink

Stef Wissink is an editor at Boerenbusiness and writes about current market developments in the dairy and pig market. He also follows Dutch and international agribusiness.

s.wissink@boerenbusiness. Nl

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