News Politics
Nitrogen minister wants to reward quick quitters extra
Minister for Nature and Nitrogen Christianne van der Wal (VVD) is examining whether livestock farmers who want to stop quickly can be rewarded in certain areas. "The sooner you stop, the more financially attractive it is." The minister said this in a meeting of a House of Representatives committee on Thursday 10 March.
Van der Wal is looking at whether in 'areas where nature is in such a state - that it is a no-go that we wait another two years until, for example, the fund has been implemented' - the expenditure for purchases from the nitrogen fund can be brought forward. She also wants to work with rewards: "The sooner you stop, the more financially attractive it is. At the same time, we want to be able to steer more tightly by setting a firm deadline." She was inspired by her Flemish colleagues. The minister sees that the sector 'is now quite worried about: there is €25 billion on the shelf, we'll just have to wait and see'. "I would do the same as an entrepreneur."
According to the minister, expropriation cannot be ruled out (in addition to voluntary purchase), as Van der Wal also said earlier. "We will do everything we can to prevent expropriation, but I really can't rule it out, especially in those areas that are in such bad shape."
Overijssel will continue to enforce PAS detectors
Just before the meeting, the minister received a letter from the province of Overijssel. The province sees itself through multiple court decisions forced to enforce enforcement at four biomass installations as a result of their PAS notification. The judge ruled that the legalization program presented by the minister on 28 February does not offer any guarantee that PAS reporters can be legalized in the foreseeable future.
The minister said that he had not yet had time to study the letter, but did indicate that he remained behind the inter-administrative agreement that enforcement will not be enforced. "It is those entrepreneurs who have acted in good faith, who rely on the government, and that is why I believe that we have said: Enforcement is not an issue, because there is a prospect of legalization." She notes that the court leaves room for individual consideration of interests, 'whereby it may be possible to substantiate that enforcement is not proportionate'. "That applies to reports, so also to dairy farmers." The minister wants to support the provinces and talk to them 'in order to be able to make that decision properly'.
Before the next parliamentary debate on nitrogen on 6 April, the minister will provide an explanation of, among other things, the area-oriented approach and the short-term steps (before 2022 and 2023). She is currently looking at everything that concerns internal and external netting, latent space, Rav factors and the like, and she promises to come up with a separate approach before the summer. "It is quite complicated and you have to deal with rights, permits that contain economic activity, permits that do not contain economic activity. We do not want the situation where we add deposition and do nothing to nature."
Linda van Eekeres
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