News Energy
Making solar parks gobble up farmland
A large proportion of farmers are concerned about the extra pressure that the energy transition is putting on the land market. This is apparent from a survey conducted by LTO Nederland among 3.300 farmers and horticulturists in all sectors. In addition to the sustainable energy targets, housing and infrastructure are also putting pressure on the land market.
In addition to food, farmers and horticulturists increasingly provide other services for biodiversity and climate measures. There are also ambitious plans to extensify agriculture. This requires extra space. LTO's research shows that farmers and horticulturists need better protection of the available agricultural land. The agricultural area in the Netherlands is decreasing by approximately 8.000 hectares every year.
Unrest about solar parks
More than 80% of farmers do not want productive agricultural land to be sacrificed for the energy transition. Only 11% think that's a good idea. There are concerns about the increase in solar parks not only in the agricultural sector. For example, an article in the AD caused quite a stir about the heavily subsidized solar parks. The government advisor for the physical living environment, Wouter Veldhuis warned of this development.
Uit investigation by the RVO shows that the agricultural sector was already self-sufficient in its own energy needs in 2018. Farmers therefore already play a major role in the production of sustainable energy. In many cases they already have solar panels on the roofs of barns and stables. But there is even more space available there and many believe it should be used first.
Jurphaas Lugtenburg
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