Major changes sometimes happen faster and apparently more automatically than (relative) detailed changes. Illustrative of this is the pace at which the current European Commission is removing the Green Deal elements from the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) compared to the mouse steps in, for example, the use of fertilizer substitutes.
In response to intense farmers' protests, several sharp edges of the new CAP have already been filed off in recent months. On March 15, a proposal for further adjustments was announced late in the day, after reports of postponement. It is a comprehensive proposal for adjustments, which will be discussed at the agricultural conference on March 24 and 25, perhaps not entirely coincidentally, just after the major EU summit from March 21 to 23.
Meanwhile, Dutch outgoing agriculture minister Piet Adema was sweating the beans last week with environmental commissioner Virginius Sinkevicius. Or who could please help him to untangle the Gordian manure knot that engulfs Dutch livestock farming.
Renure piece of cake
Allowing the use of fertilizer substitutes from animal manure (Renure) would be a piece of cake compared to what the European Commission has in store for agriculture. Various agricultural organizations and the NZO gave him an urgent letter for Brussels. Without intervention, perhaps 400.000 cows would have to be 'cleaned up', was the gist. However, Piet still has to wait a while for a definitive answer. The environment commissioner will first fly to a series of South American countries for a week. Moreover, European farmers in Brussels and elsewhere did not demonstrate for Renure.
Maddening policy stamp
It is certainly not only because of the departure of Frans Timmermans from Brussels that the European greening policy is under fire. It is his stamp on the policy, the extensive ecologization and bureaucratization, that is driving farmers and rural residents throughout Europe crazy.
It is not without reason that, according to a so-called 'non-paper' (leaked piece to gauge the mood) and now the official proposal, the European Commission wants to exempt farmers with less than 10 hectares of land from most CAP obligations, the fallow, and reseeding rules are greatly relaxed, the rigid calendar agriculture is being challenged and many other rules with a high level of irritation are also being put under the knife. It is less clear whether there will also be relaxations in the environmental field.
Marge Observatory
Action is being taken to strengthen the income position of farmers, including with the help of a kind of 'Margin Observatory'.
French President Emmanuel Macron is further calling for a European inspection body for imported food, so that double standards are put to an end when it comes to quality, health and environmental requirements.
There are more of those two sizes in Europe. In Poland, farmers are struggling against incoming Ukrainian grain, but the door is wide open for trade with Belarus and Russia. This mainly concerns exports, but also quite a bit of imports. However, in Poland people prefer not to talk about this.
Election shivers
Why does everything suddenly have to change in Brussels? According to various European media, because the European Commission is suffering from election tremors. The Commission is not directly elected, but for President Ursula von der Leyen and others, the outcome of the European parliamentary election in June is of great importance, especially because she wants another term as president and because she does not want to leave dissatisfied voters chasing other parties. In Brussels, people are not looking forward to a BBB scenario. Various green NGOs are already sounding the alarm, but the question is whether this will have much effect.
Animal worthy, emission unworthy
In the Netherlands itself, Minister Adema is struggling with animal husbandry and how to anchor it in law in a way that makes it workable for agriculture. In the legislative consultation, he pointed out on March 11 that greater animal welfare also conflicts with limiting emissions. "For example, look at the Better Life quality mark of 1 star for chicken. That entire sector is stuck because the Better Life quality mark currently leads to higher emissions; more surface area leads to more emissions. This means that a number of other goals are not more can be achieved," says Adema. That is why he seeks in his proposal 'to have the space to make adjustments until 2040, to see what solutions are offered for this'. If that doesn't happen, he believes, more of 'these types of accidents' will occur.
Extra nitrogen sensitivity nature
At first glance, there seem to be few current events in the area of nitrogen and nature, but here appearances are deceiving. Last week, several lawsuits were on the docket in Arnhem in which farmers came into conflict with the nature policy of the rich and provincial governments. In fact, it was a follow-up to a series of previous cases in other provinces.
The nitrogen sensitivity had been adjusted for various nature reserves without notice. This in itself is not allowed under the Arhus Treaty, but it was also striking that the government had difficulty providing substantiation for the adjustments. The ruling has not yet been made, but in Brabant and Zeeland, among others, this resulted in a judicial slap on the fingers for the government. The adjustment of the nitrogen sensitivity will also have to have consequences for the socio-economic area analyzes that are required for the Provincial Rural Area Programs.