Failure of target management plan to maintain NV areas

Last week, the debate on the adoption of the 8th Nitrates Directive action program ended in disappointment, according to both BO Akkerbouw and Cumela. The House of Representatives did not support the plan for the new action program, which was drawn up by the caretaker government led by Minister of Agriculture Femke Wiersma and was scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2026.

Every EU member state is required to adopt a new action program under the Nitrates Directive every four years. Postponement will not change this obligation: if the Netherlands fails to adopt a new program, Brussels can intervene through infringement proceedings, potentially resulting in stricter generic rules.

In practice, this means the 7th Nitrates Directive Action Programme will remain in effect for the time being, and the decision-making on new measures will be postponed until the next cabinet. At BO Akkerbouw, disappointment with this outcome prevails, says director André Hoogendijk. "We weren't satisfied with the plans on all counts, but there was agreement on the importance of target-based management."

Hoogendijk also points out that the implementation of the focus areas is also being postponed. As a result, companies that wrongly feel placed in a NV area will continue to face a 20% reduction in nitrogen application standards for another year.

Target management could help farmers
The introduction of target-based management would primarily result in policies aimed at achieving environmental targets, without strict regulations, explains Twan Gubbels, board member of the Cumela trade association. Years of measurements show that water quality in many locations is well below the 50 mg nitrate per liter limit. The goal of target-based management was to eliminate NV status in areas where water quality is demonstrably good, allowing farmers to return to standard fertilization standards.

Will Brussels now decide?
Because a new 8th Action Program has not yet been established, the Netherlands remains formally in breach of its obligations under the EU Nitrates Directive. According to Hoogendijk and Gubbels, Brussels will not have any direct influence on what farmers experience on their farms in the short term. "It is now up to a new cabinet to draw up a new action program. It is likely that target-based management will be reinstated, although the plan will look different in some respects from the current proposal," Hoogendijk expects.

Gubbels speaks of putting the current plans on hold. "If the new cabinet needs too much time to develop a new action program, Brussels will eventually interfere with what the Netherlands needs to do to continue meeting the Nitrates Directive targets," he warns.