'Better reward investment in better soil'

On Monday, Krijn Poppe handed over a report from the Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli) about the soil to agricultural minister Carola Schouten. This report, with the advice to reward the largest possible group of farmers for investments in better soil, caused quite a stir.

Poppe, until recently a senior researcher at Wageningen UR and chairman of the committee that compiled the report, explains the content. The Rli has spent a few years working on analyzing and advising on the quality of the soils in rural areas. 

According to this group of advisors, acidification, salinization, eutrophication, desiccation, compaction and increased vulnerability characterize the quality of the soils. To turn the tide, Rli recommends multiple use of soils, for example for agriculture and for carbon storage or for forests and water storage. Provinces can include this recommendation in the so-called National Environmental Vision that they are developing. 

Deeper rooting crops
Multifunctional use can lead to a decrease in the value of agricultural land, but that is not necessarily the case, says Poppe. "Currently, CO2 allowances have fallen sharply in value to below €25. But it is obvious that they will increase considerably in the future to €50 and more. At a certain point it becomes worthwhile to go for deeper rooting crops such as alfalfa Then the yields through CO2 capture ensure that the soil retains its value."

The Council recommends setting up a monitoring and knowledge system in which more information is collected and shared. Existing legislation and regulations must also be adapted for, for example, lease, manure and tax policy. Landowners and users can be encouraged to adopt sustainable behavior with tailor-made forms of remuneration, for example through the European Union's CAP policy.

Connecting to Planetproof
These so-called eco-surcharges are already in an advanced stage of design and tests are underway, says Poppe. He believes it is important that the ministry does not reinvent the wheel but that it connects to existing systems in the food world, such as 'on the way to Planet Proof'.

It is also very important that not all EU budget shifts from the first to the second pillar, which goes to a more specific group of farmers for all kinds of rural development. Poppe: "It must be a rewarding bonus policy that ends up directly on the farm. The largest possible group should continue to participate in the bonus policy."

Sustainable lease
Sustainable leasing and leasing, aimed at preserving soil quality and capturing CO2, is less simple than it seems. It is true that controlling the organic matter content in the soil is not that difficult, although opinions differ as to whether you can measure the increase accurately. The field of tension is mainly related to the yield of the lease. This is highest if a high balance of crops can be grown in succession with the greatest possible frequency.

The council is not by definition against liberalized leases. The combination of high-networking crops with dividing grassland is sometimes more sustainable than it seems, as the digesting sod does mean a loss of fixed carbon, but the divided grassland makes the cultivation of the high-balance crops more sustainable, compared to crop rotation without grassland.

End of slurry
Poppe: "In any case, the government can set requirements for land it owns. The Central Government Real Estate Agency and municipal and provincial governments can include sustainability targets in the lease conditions. We have to go back to the past in our lease policy. It was very normal then. that lessees set requirements for the maintenance of the land, how much was fertilized and with what."

Manure legislation also needs to be reviewed. Like the Remkes Committee, the Council advises the Minister to phase out slurry in the long run. Poppe thinks that this will automatically create a different dynamic on the fertilizer market and discourage the use of fertilizers. Like the Remkes Committee, the Council also advises to pay a lot of attention to forestry and to encourage restoration work in forest and nature areas. For example by investing in subsidies for this purpose.

Tax measures
High land prices lead to intensification of land use and the current tax exemptions from income tax, corporation tax, inheritance and gift tax keep land prices high. These taxes are aimed at continuing the current business, regardless of whether or not the soil is used sustainably.

The same applies to tax exemptions that are given for forest and nature management. Poppe: "One way to solve this problem is to link sustainable land use requirements to these tax measures."

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