Schouten keeps it simple
'Demarcation of land-relatedness is not necessary'
"It is not necessary to define land-relatedness." That is the response of Minister Carola Schouten (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) to the advice of Netwerk Grondig. It does aim to increase the land-based character of dairy farming, but this will be done in a simple way and through fertilizer legislation.
"In the current system, land-relatedness, as intended by Network Thorough, not a distinguishing criterion", writes Schouten in a letter to the House of Representatives. It does not alter the fact that there is a lot of talk about this subject and the question constantly arises: what is a land-based dairy farming? put into law.
Advice too complex
Schouten says about the advice. "I don't think this is appropriate." In addition, she again states that she does not want to work with feed-manure contracts, because it does not stimulate soil-bound growth. Schouten is also not positive about the demarcation of the zone in which dairy farmers can operate. "After all, this would increase the complexity of the system."
Behind the scenes, Schouten is working on a simpler system for managing manure production and use. Bottom line, it should therefore also be an incentive to strengthen the land-based character of the sector, but without the term being legally established, at least that is what this letter hints at.
Hint towards land-related advice
The letter also says something about the binding advice† This also includes a recycling contract with kilometer delimitation. Although the authors state emphatically that they will stay away from the Manure Act, an amendment to the Combined Statement is required to make this possible. The response to the advice indicates that Schouten does not intend to cooperate on anything that does not guarantee the land-based character of the sector.
Herman van den Pol
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