News Farmland
80 percent of agricultural land in farmers' hands
The agricultural sector holds 80% of all Dutch agricultural land. The remaining 20% is owned by non-agricultural parties, such as nature and non-profit organizations, and the State. The 2,02 million hectares of land are considerably fragmented, with 280.000 owners. This is reported by the Land Registry.
In a study, the Land Registry examined the ownership of Dutch 'territory', including water. In total, our country has 8,4 million parcels with 4,4 million owners. At 2.021.400 hectares, well over half of Dutch land is designated for agriculture. By comparison, 12% of all land in our country is nature.
Most land for 'private'
Private individuals own by far the most agricultural land. This amounts to 1,3 million hectares, or 64%. At first glance, this seems strange, but the Land Registry therefore also counts sole proprietorships, partners, or shareholders as private individuals. However, significant differences are visible per province regarding the amount of land owned by private individuals.
Companies come in second place. They collectively manage 300.000 hectares, which is 15% of the total. This includes an agricultural company with a BV structure, as well as leasing organizations such as ASR. The largest owners of agricultural land are Staatsbosbeheer, other government institutions, and ASR. Ten parties together hold 10% of all agricultural land. 4% of all land has been leased under long-term lease. A detailed analysis of leased land has not been conducted.
With 91.000 hectares (4,5%), nature organizations rank third among the largest groups of owners. The State comes in fourth place with 72.000 hectares (3,5%), and municipalities are in fifth place with 60.000 hectares (2,95%).
11% of government
Almost 80% of all agricultural land is therefore in the hands of agricultural parties. Non-agricultural parties together account for 10%. That is 207.000 hectares. Government agencies together hold 11% of land ownership, totaling 225.000 hectares.
What stands out is that developers hold a relatively small land position. This amounts to 7.000 hectares, which is 0,3% of the total. Investors are not mentioned separately. They likely fall under the category of companies. However, this land is used for agriculture. Church organizations still hold 37.000 hectares (1,82%) of the land. However, 89% of all their land is agricultural land. By comparison, this is three-quarters for developers and 59% for non-profit organizations.
Government large in Flevoland
In Overijssel and Gelderland, private individuals hold the most land, at 76% and 71% respectively. In almost all provinces, private individuals constitute the largest group, holding more than 50% of the land. The exception is Flevoland, where that percentage stands at 40%. Here, the government owns 35%. In North Holland, North Brabant, and South Holland, the government also holds 10% to 12% of the land. Companies own between 10% and 20% of the land at the provincial level. Outliers are Groningen and Limburg, where this is well over a fifth.
In the other categories, the proportions are very different. For instance, nature organizations hold 48% of all natural land. This primarily concerns Staatsbosbeheer and Natuurmonumenten. The top 10 largest owners possess more than half of all natural land, compared to 10% in agriculture. Private individuals are the second largest category here, accounting for 16% of the total. For water, the situation is quite different. Here, 92% is owned by the state, and private individuals play no role.
Niels van der Boom
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