NMV also joins
A-ware turns against fertilizer
"It's crazy that you have to use fertilizer", says Klaas de Jong, COO of A-ware. It is the first processor to openly take a stand in the discussion about fertilizer. In the meantime, the Dutch Dairy Farmers' Union (NMV) is making it one of its spearheads in the 'Cow and Climate' vision. This greatly increases the anti-fertilizer noise.
"It is actually great that as a dairy farmer you fertilizer should use," says De Jong. On behalf of a-ware he addresses the issue of climate change. "The soil model only works if the farmer is behind it and if there is a revenue model." De Jong refers to the tasks that the dairy farmer faces. However, this does not alter the fact that "there is already much more balance than we think." De Jong emphasizes this because he sees that the recording is often forgotten, but then the soil does play an important role.
Balance with cattle slurry
Balanced fertilization in nitrogen must come from cattle slurry, according to A-ware. In order to do this properly, the bottlenecks surrounding fertilizer must be resolved with the government. The future of the sector depends on the organic matter in the soil and fertilizer does nothing for that.
A-ware receives support from the NMV. For example, the advocate for dairy farmers calls it 1 of the 3 spearheads, in order to contribute to the climate. The other 2 action points are: that the use of fossil fuels must be tackled and that something must be done about the supply and removal of concentrates and by-products.
In a relatively short period of time, the opinion of dairy farmers about fertilizers has changed drastically, something that has already happened during the Agricultural Congress in Friesland came forward. Wil Meulenbroeks (LTO Dairy Farming) said at the time that he was not comfortable with the reactions of dairy farmers when he spoke critically about fertilizer for the first time. However, these turned out to be less negative and violent than he had anticipated. This also indicates that dairy farmers are much more involved with the use of fertilizer than is sometimes thought.
Things put on edge
The growing manure surplus has brought things to a head, in particular. In this context, the cycle and balanced fertilization are discussed. There is then no longer room for a product such as fertilizer, which attacks raw materials and the production is also climate-unfriendly.
Questions were also raised about the actions of Wageningen UR (WUR). "Why isn't more research being done on the effects of not using fertilizer?" At the same time, an independent researcher says that he sees that the lack of magnesium, among other things, causes problems in the health of the animals. Is that also a result of the stricter fertilization requirements?
Removing Barriers
Tjeerd de Groot (D66) and Roelof Bisschop (SGP) agreed that the regulations should be looked at, as a result of which innovations are blocked. "There are great steps to be taken," said Bisschop. Maurits von Martels (CDA) is adding another coin. "The government must act as a facilitator. If it is not a win-win situation, then no farmer will participate."
However, both Von Martels and Carla Dik-Faber (ChristenUnie) made it clear that the manure fraud, the problems surrounding the Identification and Registration System and the fipronil affair have remained unsolved and these files will also require attention in the coming period. Say goodbye to fertilizer will therefore not be a realistic scenario in the short term.
Herman van den Pol
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