Background Nitrogen mood
Chamber files edges and fuss about covenant
There is still a week to go until the summer recess of the House of Representatives, but in the past week the last major agricultural topics seem to have been discussed. There were votes on a series of motions on nitrogen and nature policy and sector organizations signed a covenant on animal-friendly livestock farming with Femke Minister Wiersma.
Through a number of adopted motions, in particular that of SGP member André Flach, an attempt was made to file down a number of rough edges of previously adopted policy and to give farmers a little more certainty. For example, it was requested to limit the number of NV areas, to offer livestock farmers a little more certainty when it comes to the arithmetic lower limit and to request a new derogation, which offers opportunities for both nature and farmers. Caroline van der Plas received a majority in the House of Representatives behind her proposal to be able to work on a larger scale with acidified manure (which causes fewer emissions). Finally, there was also a motion by CU member of the House of Representatives Pieter Grinwis to more firmly encourage farmers to reduce ammonia emissions, if necessary by force.
Motion of decency
A motion by Van der Plas was also adopted stating that a minister – in this case Minister Wiersma – does not have to consult with a club (MOB) that compares this minister to a cancerous tumor. This was therefore a kind of decency motion, but not superfluous. NSC member Harm Holman was lucky, because he escaped the dance after he had also said something ugly and very misogynistic about the minister of LVVN last week, but he had already offered humble apologies.
Agricultural lobbying
As is often the case with motions, many are not written by members of the House of Representatives themselves or their staff, but are provided by lobbyists. They usually know best how a case is put together, but the House of Representatives naturally continues to make the assessment. It is usually the case that a farmer-friendly motion has been discussed with the agricultural clubs. It also works the other way around. The Grinwis motion, which raises eyebrows here and there among farmers, was nevertheless created through agricultural lobbying. Former State Secretary Henk Bleeker was deployed for this. He has been retired for a long time, but still earns a nice salary and now represents ZuivelNL, then the G7 or NZO.
Covenant and AVV?
Some of the parties mentioned above, together with other parties from the livestock farming sector, also signed the covenant on animal-worthy livestock farming this week, although in the opinion of several parties this was in a sense with a knife to their throat. Namely, quite a few requirements are set and investments are required. The poultry farmers' union NVP therefore declined the honour. However, other parties have signed twice, such as the NAJK. That does not make the withdrawal of the NVP entirely right, and not because the NAJK hardly represents any companies. The problem is that the covenant does not currently apply to the entire livestock farming sector and cannot be strictly enforced, unless the minister opts for a generally binding declaration (AVV).
Little controversial
This week, the House also decided to close almost all major dossiers in the field of agriculture and nature not to be declared controversial. The doors remain wide open in principle to find a solution to the nitrogen problem in the coming months. The chance that this will actually happen is of course small. Then more would have to happen than in three previous government terms.
Opportunities remain
However, bills can still be submitted to the House and sitting members of the House can still put forward their own initiatives. It is also expected that the aforementioned Harm Holman will come up with a private member's bill on land-relatedness. However, he will not be able to bring his proposal to a full-fledged law, because he will leave the House of Representatives after 29 October. Allies, such as GroenLinks/PvdA, can continue his work.
Polls
The expectation is that the NSC will be decimated, while the CDA and JA21 are provisionally designated as the new winners. Also, the old rule of 'he who breaks, pays' does not seem to apply now, because the PVV is in the latest poll still considered the (virtual) largest party.
Klaas van der Horst
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