Background Nitrogen mood
Holman's embryos and Caroline's blockade
Ministers who sit in government like a cancer. What is wrong with the nitrogen debate, and with the entire political debate in the Netherlands. Then there are also members of parliament who want to deny a democratic society the right to self-defense in their fight against fundamentalist dictatorships. But that last one is of course outside the agricultural debate.
A serious concern is that our society is becoming increasingly tense and primary emotions are increasingly taking over.
The fact that the cabinet fell two weeks ago seems like a minor detail in comparison, but it is already annoying enough for the agricultural sector. A great many policies are in danger of not being implemented or are being seriously delayed, while it cannot afford that. Admittedly, the implementation of the policy was difficult, but now it is even more difficult and new elections do not necessarily make everything better or easier. Because, how long are we going to form a government, and will there be any prospects afterwards?
Left from the band
With the end of their term in sight, some members of the Lower House want to leave a kind of testament for themselves, for example NSC member Harm Holman. He has been trying to enforce a strictly land-based agriculture for a long time, although this is a sensitive issue for the other governing parties. To this end, Holman is working on a private member's bill. Now that the PVV is out of the government and political cooperation, Holman apparently saw his chance to break out on the other side. For his plans, he has entered into a more far-reaching cooperation with GroenLinks-PvdA. He can get along with Lower House member Laura Bromet, as has been clear for some time. They want to advance the bill together, and if Minister Wiersma thwarts this, she should not be surprised about 'serious consequences', Holman threatened.
MOB also comes along with Bromet
As if this wasn't enough, Holman, who entered the House of Representatives as a former farmer on an 'agricultural ticket', also expressed his support for a set of requirements from MOB. This means that the caretaker government and the House of Representatives will return the nitrogen policy to the old track and adopt a Vollenbroek course. This is in exchange for commitments from MOB not to take too many legal action against some of the PAS reporters for the time being.
Whose embryo?
During the debate on nitrogen and manure policy held on Wednesday, Holman presented his approach, with Bromet encouragingly present, as the last chance to do it right with the manure policy. He used the image of a farmer who tries for the last time to get one of his cows pregnant with an expensive embryo ('last chance embryo', otherwise the cow has to go). It actually ended up hanging a bit awkwardly in the middle as to whose embryo was getting the last chance, the minister's or Holman's.
It seemed to escape the notice of the Drenthe itself. Holman will not return to the Lower House after the elections at the end of October, nor will CDA agricultural spokeswoman Eline Vedder.
Red flag for BBB
Holman's initiative and words acted like a red flag on a bull for Caroline van der Plas. Not only because, according to her, he would violate coalition agreements, but especially because Holman is going into business with MOB, a club that, according to her and also fellow MP André Flach, blackmails farmers and drives them to despair. And it must be said, it would not be the first time that MOB does not keep to agreements and commitments. Van der Plas says he would 'rather die' than talk to MOB. The fact that MOB, for its part, calls the BBB a 'cancer' in the government and that no politician from another party says anything about it, will undoubtedly also play a role. It all seems to be allowed these days.
Cabinet rejects MOB demands
Minister Wiersma also has her feelings about MOB, she said, but she spoke to MOB in her position. However, she will not go along with the Nijmegen action group, and will not – on behalf of the cabinet – abandon an appeal against Greenpeace on the nitrogen policy. She also wants to continue submitting a new derogation request for livestock farming in Brussels, although the left-wing MPs in particular give her little chance. In doing so, they also referred to a hearing which the House of Representatives had last week with officials from the Brussels Nitrate Committee.
Critical Nitrate Officials
These civil servants (who do not have the final say) were indeed critical of the Dutch position and opportunities, but at the same time showed that they look at it purely from a legal perspective, without much understanding of how things really are in practice – for example, that a standard of 170 kilos of nitrogen must be the same throughout Europe without taking soil, climate and other circumstances into account. The European civil servants also did not seem to find a major revision of the Nitrates Directive, which is due to run this year, so necessary. However, the floor is now up to politicians.
Moderately interested Chamber
Unfortunately, it must also be said that many members of parliament did not use the hearing to ask more in-depth questions. Many questions were barely prepared and interest in the session was moderate.
Wiersma survived a motion of no confidence over her manure and nitrogen policy last Thursday without any major problems.
The motion came from GroenLinks-PvdA and the Party for the Animals, and was supported by the entire left-wing corner of the House of Representatives, but not by the NSC or Holman personally.
Klaas van der Horst
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