Schouten: 'Understanding the frustration of dairy farmers'

Minister Carola Schouten (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) says it is very annoying that a number of farmers have been unjustly blocked. She wrote this in a letter to the House of Representatives on Monday 12 February.

Schouten refers in the letter to the 150 farmers which have been unjustly blocked since last week due to the fraud investigation. Schouten: "I find it very annoying that a number of entrepreneurs have been confronted with a blockage, while this should not have been the case. I understand that this frustrating is. This was quickly rectified after this was discovered."

This group of 150 dairy farmers has received a letter from the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) stating that the blockade has been lifted. The letter also contains an explanation for the unblocking.

Another 2.000 companies blocked
According to Schouten, more than 2.000 companies are currently blocked. Schouten lays in the letter from that 50 companies have made the I&R system sound again. "Up to now, more than 50 companies have corrected their registrations, after which the blockade has been lifted by the NVWA. In these cases, the farmer has provided statements from Rendac, milk lists, invoices or other written reasons."

Small number of animals 
She calls on the other blocked farmers to make the I&R system sound and to have DNA tested if necessary. "It will differ from case to case whether the mistakes were made intentionally or not. A small irregularity in I&R registration can make a major financial difference for an entrepreneur in the phosphate reduction plan 2017," said Schouten in the letter. She emphasizes that irregularities should not occur in the administration.

Overloaded
Schouten further states that several hundred blocked dairy farmers contacted the Netherlands Enterprise Agency this weekend. Despite the expansion, the customer contact team has become overloaded and not every caller has received an answer. That is why callback agreements have been made. 

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