Christianne, Joep and Erwin. They were all in the news this week, for things that may not have anything to do with each other, but maybe a little bit. All three have been quite involved in the nitrogen dossier, or are still doing so a little. However, their position is changing, while the dossier is certainly not closed yet.
Christianne van der Wal (VVD) suddenly announced this week that she was giving up her seat in the Lower House. The former Minister for Nitrogen and Nature had decided to take a seat in the Lower House after the last elections, but was not happy about it, as she announced to a number of national media.
Not 'her thing'
The craft of being a member of parliament was not 'her thing', she said. She could not find her way. She was also unlucky that a nice position elsewhere did not come along in time. There is also speculation that the nitrogen policy in the ministerial committee for Economy and Nature Restoration (also known as the Schoof Committee) is not going in the direction she wants. However, that is still a premature interpretation. It is still not very clear what this committee exactly wants and whether that corresponds somewhat with what Minister Wiersma wants.
NZO device
Joep Rats, director of the trade association NZO, did not announce his departure himself, but he too is packing his bags. Although no details have been officially announced and those involved are reluctant to say much, it has been reported that his departure is nitrogen-related. It is known that the dairy club's official apparatus made agreements with other organisations that the club's board was not or only partially aware of.
So far, perhaps nothing special, you might say. However strange that may sound to an outsider. In other interest groups, something like this also happens when it comes to a theme such as nitrogen. Usually, however, it has no direct consequences. This time, it does. This has to do with the tension that prevails in the dairy cattle and dairy chain.
No agreement in messing around
That tension is building, because there is pressure to reach a compromise with the government, while the dairy cooperatives, private processors and also groups like Agractie, in particular, do not want to do that. They do not want an agreement to be messed with. Yet something is moving. Last week, Minister Wiersma (LVVN) sent a letter to the House of Representatives about the feed measure and the nitrogen gap. An agreement was said to have been reached with the industry about the first, but she was less clear about the second. In fact, the minister moved much less than expected here. That caused irritation. This week, a letter followed about what the minister called 'extensification policy'. This theme was also discussed with the dairy farming industry, but agreement is still a long way off. Yet the minister is pushing ahead.
Surrendering and specifying phosphate rights
It comes down to a generic grab in the phosphate rights. Dairy farmers first surrender part of their phosphate rights (temporarily) for a period of three years for a considerable compensation (€1.000 per dairy cow per year), but after three years these rights are still cancelled, because the compensation would have been high enough. According to the agreements, this measure must be financed partly by LVVN and partly (to a small extent) by the business community, so the story goes. According to the story, Rabobank is prepared to pre-finance the sector contribution, but of course that money must be returned.
Who promised what?
The discussion last week revolved around the question of who from the business community would actually contribute and who had made promises about this? At first glance, it seemed that no one had done so, because no one had given or received a mandate for it. At a certain point, the NZO was no longer sure who had done what and a storm arose. The extensification plan was also discussed at the trade association ZuivelNL and possibly more was suggested than could be substantiated. Many consultations take place via envoy Henk Bleker, according to various sources, but no decisions have been made with the members.
DairyNL Mandate
ZuivelNL must also be careful, because a group of farmers is taking legal action against the trade association regarding its mandate, and at the moment this suddenly has everything to do with the nitrogen policy.
ZuivelNL is a trade association, just like BO Akkerbouw and the Producenten Organisatie Varkens, but it does not act like one. The latter two are transparent about the support and membership of the supporting organisation and are publicly accountable for this. For important decisions, they also request ministerial approval (Generally binding declaration). This is different at ZuivelNL and a procedure is underway for this, because: can it be done this way? For example, can ZuivelNL let the dairy farming sector contribute to an extensification scheme, which is currently being discussed.
LTO moves beacons
What does LTO dairy farm manager Erwin Wunnekink have to do with this? Possibly nothing, except that he also has a seat in ZuivelNL. Still, it is striking that at the time of his possible reappointment as department chairman, other candidates are suddenly being sought. It is something that LTO Nederland has not done for years, and now, without further explanation, a vacancy for a department chairman for dairy farming suddenly appears. Incidentally, LTO Nederland also decided last week to withdraw from the nitrogen agreement with Bouwend Nederland, among others, because agriculture was not sufficiently recognized in it. Is LTO Nederland also preparing for a sharper profile?