Help for quarantine
More milkers still ground-bound
The day is short, but a number of problems still need to be solved before 1 April in the practical implementation of the Phosphate Reduction Regulation 2017. Outgoing State Secretary Martijn van Dam answers the questions about land-relatedness and discusses the situation in beef cattle farming.
750
businesses
The answers follow motions from the last Agriculture Council. For example, 750 dairy farmers, worth a phosphate reference of 0,1 million kilograms, are still eligible for the title 'land-bound'. The problems arose due to the different calculation methods in the plans for the phosphate reduction and the determination of the phosphate rights. For example, a low-productive cow counts just as heavily in the reduction as a high-productive cow, but a distinction is made between these when the rights are allocated. It saves a discount of 4 percent on the reference date 2 July 2015.
transfers
A second bottleneck are transfers† Especially for those who make the distinction between being ground-bound and not being ground-bound. It does not pose any problems for the phosphate reduction scheme, Van Dam reports, but there is definitely something going on with the system of phosphate rights. 'I will provide your House with further information about this in the short term', writes Van Dam.
In case of transfers, this must be must be reported to the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) before 1 April. A transfer after 1 March 2017 must be reported no later than one month after the transfer.
Alternative reference date for beef cattle
Then there was the reference date 15 December 2016 for non-dairy farms. The intention was to prevent the exchange of cattle from dairy farms, but this will unintentionally hit a large group of beef cattle farms hard. That is why there will be an alternative reference date. For example, you can choose 15 December as the upper limit or a monthly reference. This concerns the months of April, June, August, October and December 2017.
When calculating the sum of money, RVO.nl uses the reference that is most favorable for the entrepreneur. A fine is calculated every 2 months.
Quarantine stables exempt
Another good development is that the quarantine stables are excluded from the scheme. This at the request of Vee en Logistiek Nederland. It concerns 37 stables with space for 12.000 animals. The condition is that the animals are exported or slaughtered.
Van Dam closes his letter conclude with the words that the changes will be published in the Government Gazette in the near future.
More information about slaughter numbers and livestock prices for insiders can be found here† Also read what's happens in the field of export† Especially for insiders of Boerenbusiness Milk† Do you want to become an insider? then click here.
Herman van den Pol
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