Background Nitrogen Mood
Table guests wanted for Adema's feast
The hunt for one coalition of the willing, of organizations and people who want to sign LNV Minister Piet Adema's fervently desired Agricultural Agreement, has started to show desperate traits in the last week. Even staying overnight until Ascension Day did not yield an agreement this morning (Thursday). After all other farmers' organizations, LTO Nederland and NAJK are also in danger of dropping out. And without LTO, the agreement makes no sense, Adema also notes. In our Nitrogen Mood section, we give an impression of the nitrogen crisis in our own way.
The persistent search for participants for the drawing session, continuing until the first light of morning, evokes almost biblical images. Possibly it also passed through Adema's mind, the one parallel to inviting guests to the King's banquet. One after the other apologizes because they have better things to do. Finally, the homeless and vagrants are brought in.
LTO does not want to go alone
One after the other also opted out of the Agricultural Agreement. With other arguments. Farmers' organizations do not trust the paper they are asked to sign, or think what is asked of them goes too far. LTO chairman Sjaak van der Tak would like to sign on his own, but not with LTO (and NAJK) alone. Yet his willingness goes far. Last week he helped Adema firmly to convince agricultural sector organizations and, if necessary, individual companies.
Shake app
He motivates his efforts in an app message to fellow drivers. In the hunt for co-signatories, even individual (large) farmers would have been approached. Whether the loot from this raid will be big enough remains to be seen. Few parties provide a real feast, rather a meal with the necessary acid, which they have to eat with long teeth. Adema moved the deadline on Tuesday - an agreement is also allowed after Ascension Day and indicated that it might also be able to live with a partial agreement. Anything for something that can be called a result.
Grumbling in ZLTO circle
Still, the question is whether - even if LTO and NAJK do sign - there will be a final agreement. It is also starting to rumble within LTO. In the ZLTO area, a group of dairy farmers is on the edge of their seats to jump on that moment. What worries them in particular is the grassland standard desired by Adema. According to the farmers, this looks suspiciously like the plan for 65% protein from their own land, which LTO and NZO launched in 2018. There was a lot of opposition to this, which led to the ZLTO calculating the consequences.
Income effect
For a large proportion of dairy farmers in Brabant, this would have disastrous income effects, with losses of around 60%. Current calculations by feed companies show that the grassland standard will have a comparable effect. The compliance of farmers (not necessarily their organisations) is also not increased by the fact that new examples keep popping up from other sectors, where seemingly anything is possible.
Recreation out of the picture
While the rules for agriculture are being tightened more and more and Minister for Nature and Nitrogen, Christianne van der Wal, is releasing hundreds of millions for the purchase of farms close to nature, the recreation sector is not being hindered much. This week it came out that the nitrogen rules have not been taken into account for a large recreation park near Elburg. According to Statistics Netherlands, the Netherlands will have roughly 2021 holiday homes in 124.000, not including mobile homes. Their number is also increasing rapidly. Many of these shelters are close to or in vulnerable nature, but there is little supervision. Statistics Netherlands reports that there is no proper registration of how many people stay there, who they are and also what the activities there mean for the environment. And are busy recreational activities, such as mountain biking, allowed in or close to vulnerable nature, while farmers have to leave?
Klaas van der Horst
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