Cabinet does not want extra money for innovations

The cabinet does not agree with Rabobank CEO Wiebe Draijer that of the €24 billion for nitrogen reduction in agriculture, more than €5 billion should be earmarked for innovations. This is evident from answers from Minister Carola Schouten to parliamentary questions. She is back in the Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality post.

Draijer pleaded in June in the FD that less than the planned €7 billion should go to farmers' buyouts and more than €5 billion to technological innovation. When asked whether she agrees that more money should be made available for technical innovations, the minister answered 'no'. 

"The government has made more than €24 billion available for (generic and area-oriented) policy to facilitate the transition, including for innovation. It is now primarily the turn of the provinces to indicate in area programs with which measures, instruments and resources the goals will be achieved", says Schouten in answer to the questions posed by Joris Thijssen (PvdA) and Laura Bromet (GroenLinks).

Question marks about the operation of low-emission technologies
Although the government does not want to allocate extra money for innovations, Schouten indicates that technical measures have contributed to 'a substantial reduction of emissions to the environment', such as manure injection, covering manure silos and the application of low-emission techniques in stables. The use of technical measures also plays an important role in the current nitrogen approach, according to Schouten. She also states that 'innovations must also be legally sustainable'. "The cabinet wants to prevent farmers from investing a lot in technical innovations, but then getting stuck in court, because they wonder whether farmers really emit less nitrogen. It is acknowledged that there are also question marks about the operation of low-emission techniques." Financial support for the roll-out of emission-reducing techniques is therefore linked to certainty about and safeguarding the operation of those techniques, says Schouten.

Contribution of the chain parties
Thijssen and Bromet also asked the minister about the contribution that chain parties (including Rabobank) should make to the agricultural transition. The coalition agreement states that the government expects a non-binding contribution from banks, suppliers, the processing industry and retail. Schouten promises that the cabinet will soon provide more information about this. She also reports that - in line with a motion passed by Thijssen - it is investigating how banks, suppliers and customers with long-term contracts can be obliged to bear a substantial share of the transition costs.

Linda van Eekeres

Linda van Eekeres is co-writing editor-in-chief. She mainly focuses on macro-economic developments and the influence of politics on the agricultural sector.

l.vaneekeres@boerenbusiness. Nl

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