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It also does not seem to be the only address where Adema needs to have a good conversation, because besides the fact that the compensation was much lower than expected, the message also came much later than expected. The latter seems mainly to be an organizational problem that Adema must solve within its own civil service. It was really not known at the very end who would qualify for gold, silver or bronze under the eco scheme.

Different organization of work
It also seems to have everything to do with the planning of activities at RVO. This seems to have been done against a deadline rather than with a view to providing services.

Corve
Adema had to complete a number of 'corvé matters' before the end of the year, including the designation of 'nutrient-contaminated areas'. That is another issue that seems to have been worked out in a way that is as disadvantageous as possible for the farmer, perhaps even irregularly. Anyone who did not know any better would think that Adema was trying to help colleague Van der Wal to achieve its purchase targets with both schemes.

Which water measured?
With the designation of an area contaminated with nutrients according to journalist Geesje Rotgers anyway, something strange is going on. She previously discovered that the Netherlands provides different data on water pollution in Brussels than what is circulated in its own country. The maps that Adema published this week on Sinterklaas Day do not again correspond to the maps that the Netherlands deposited in Brussels. The question then arises: what is agriculture being judged on? Possibly on the quality of leaching water from the root zone, as Rotgers suspects, or on the quality of the groundwater as prescribed by European guidelines?

Guideline or policy
European Environment Commissioner Sinkevicius must provide clarity on this, but he also seems to want to opt for the strictest possible approach to Dutch agriculture rather than an approach according to the rules. After all, how else could he say on previous occasions that there should be fewer farms in the Netherlands instead of reducing emissions? The guidelines do not concern farms.

Innovation discrimination
It has been clear for some time that the last two Rutte cabinets did not like the agricultural sector. The coalitions of VVD, CDA, D66 and Christian Union have tried to restrict agriculture in every possible way. And while the rest of the business community is allowed to continue developing and innovating unhindered, this did not apply to agriculture. While the success rate of innovations per sector and based on the type of challenge will not differ much.

Schouten and De Groot's nod
Just this week, a number of documents came out that were released after an appeal to the Open Government Act (WOO). One of these was a report to then Agriculture Minister Schouten about highly productive cows. MPs Dik-Faber (CU) and De Groot (D66) suspected that highly productive cows became less and less efficient above a certain production limit (De Groot's nod) and that organic cows produced the 'cleanest'. Pretty much the opposite was demonstrated.

Schouten reacted with irritation. She wrote with pencil as a comment that perhaps the wrong research assignment had been given, that her successor should come out with this (it was during the formation of Rutte IV) and that she wanted to keep the piece in the closet for a year anyway. In another document official instructions are given even more clearly to promote organic livestock farming.

CBS versus accountants and bank
Those who are sensitive to conspiracy thinking are also recommended (or perhaps not) to take note the latest income comparison from Statistics Netherlands. This 'on demand' comparison shows that agricultural households earned a lot more than regular households in 2021, and also more than comparable SMEs. It seems like a message from the category 'all farmers are (multi)millionaires'. In fact, the comparison is flawed on several points.

The message is also in quite a strong contrast with the observation of many accounting firms (and they see the practice) that a very large proportion of farmers often have barely anything left after deducting all costs and extra long working days. This is also the situation as experienced in daily practice by banks, among others. Otherwise they would have been more flexible with lending.

IPO getting started with bottom-drawer study
More exciting news for farmers is coming from the provinces. There is work going on there to a proposal for a different, and according to leader Femke Wiersma, more realistic Critical Deposition Value (KDW). Wiersma is a Frisian BBB representative and chairman of the Administrative Advisory Committee for Rural Areas at the Interprovincial Consultation (IPO). The IPO is having an impact analysis drawn up and appears to have been partly inspired by a TNO study that was withheld from the central government for a while. The provinces want to use the results to provide guidance towards a new coalition yet to be formed and to reopen many activities.  

It remains to be seen which coalition can be formed later.