News Fertilizer
MOB achieves victory over Yara
At the end of December, the Council of State ruled that fertilizer producer Yara in Sluiskil, Zeeland, must still apply for an environmental permit. The ruling followed a case brought by the activist environmental group MOB and the Dutch Environmental Association (Vereniging Leefmilieu). MOB is not resting on its laurels and is demanding that the current environmental permit be revoked, threatening a complete closure.
On December 24, the Council of State pronunciation MOB filed a case against the Norwegian company Yara in Sluiskil. The company has been producing nitrogen fertilizer there since 1929. The producer applied for a nature permit from the province, which was subsequently rejected by the provincial government. The activities of their urea granulate factory were deemed not to be harmful to the surrounding Natura 2000 areas.
Nitrogen battle
The battle between Yara and MOB has been raging for some time. In 2018, Yara built a new urea plant and also applied for a nature permit. This permit was overturned by the court in 2022 because the provincial government had failed to properly substantiate it. Yara submitted a new (amended) application, after which the provincial government concluded that no permit was required at all because it would not affect nearby nature.
This was a sore point for MOB chairman Johan Vollenbroek, who disagreed with this conclusion. The highest court agreed with him and ruled that the impact of Yara's nitrogen emissions on nature must first be investigated. Even if damage cannot be ruled out, Yara must apply for a new nature permit. According to nitrogen activist Vollenbroek, it remains to be seen whether that permit will be granted.
Yara has not yet responded to the ruling's contents. Spokesperson Gijsbrecht Gunter told the Zeeland media that Yara "respects the ruling" and will first study it thoroughly.
Complete closure
But that's not the end of the story. Yara is currently relying on its nature permit, which dates back to 2014. MOB is demanding that the province revoke this permit, because Yara is allegedly one of the largest ammonia emitters in the Netherlands. The province refuses. This case will be heard in the Breda court in February. "If the judge grants our revocation request, the whole place will have to close," Vollenbroek told the Zeeland newspaper PZC.
A complete closure of the production site would be unprecedentedly dramatic news for the company. It is Yara's largest ammonia and nitrate fertilizer plant in Europe. 1,8 million tons of ammonia are produced annually, primarily for the European market, but also for export to North and South America. The entire Sluiskil site comprises thirteen individual factories for the various products. In 2024, Yara ceased operations in Tertre, Belgium, where nitrogen fertilizers were also produced. European environmental regulations also played a significant role in this decision.
The province says it supports Yara in this matter and will work together to obtain a proper permit. The company is a major employer in the province, with over 700 permanent employees working at the site.
Niels van der Boom
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