"If you lose, don't cry"

The dairy farmers were not proved right on Tuesday 31 October in the lawsuit regarding the phosphate reduction plan. This means that they still have to comply with the phosphate reduction plan. How do they deal with that? Boerenbusiness surveyed the reactions of a number of farmers.

John Klaver and his family own a dairy farm in Winkel (North Holland). They process milk into cheese and also keep dairy goats and sheep. "It is a pity that it turned out this way. Of course we would have liked to see it differently. We applied for, and eventually received, an environmental permit for 750 dairy cows. We are currently milking 400 cows."

'It's a business risk'
On July 2, 2015, the Klaver family also kept 400 dairy cows. They have to downsize, because the company is not land-bound. "We have arranged this for half, the other half falls under the business risk. So we now have to pay a levy on this."

"Companies that have expanded significantly have taken a big risk. However, I think they knew that in advance," says Klaver. "Sometimes you win, other times you lose. And then when you lose, don't cry." Klaver adheres more to the judge's ruling and for the time being will stick to 400 dairy cows. 

'Pronunciation is disappointing'
Arian de Jong of the Biostee in Zuid-Beijerland (South Holland) has yet to consider this ruling. "I find the verdict disappointing. We will certainly consider the verdict and see what we can do with it. I don't know yet," says De Jong. "As a result of this measure, we have to remove about 25% of our livestock. The ruling does not provide clarity about a possible payment arrangement."

De Jong has an organic arable farm, a vegetable farm and a dairy farm. "I think the problem lies mainly in the lack of good policy. That should have been formulated immediately after the end of the milk quota. Those half solutions were not successful."

'Closed cycle impossible'
"With a good standard for land-relatedness, you don't have all these problems. Our livestock density is slightly more than 1 LU per hectare. We supply manure from third parties and keep feed from our own land. We strive for a closed cycle. When we feed our animals having to dispose of it, that will not work."

An organic arable farmer must supply 65% ​​organic fertilizer and may supply 35% other fertilizer. "The entire organic sector has a shortage of manure," says De Jong. "We now have to solve someone else's problem and that is not fair." 

At the National Economic Agriculture Congress, Lubbert van Dellen will also discuss the impact of phosphate rights on dairy farmers' business operations. Subscribers can attend the conference for free. Click here for more information.

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