The province of Gelderland has reserved €30 million for veal farming. Almost half of all companies in this sector are located in Gelderland, often in the Veluwe. The money is not intended as income support due to the corona crisis or to remediate the sector as a whole, Commissioner Peter Drenth emphasizes.
The money is intended for companies that want to continue but farm in the vicinity of Natura 2000 areas. This can offer more perspective and make quitting more attractive to potential business terminations.
The province of Gelderland has found that a number of companies in the veal farming sector are in dire straits due to the corona crisis. Can you give a more precise picture?
"The picture is very mixed, depending, among other things, on contracts with buyers of the veal calves, the investments that have been made recently and the dependence on exports. The worst pain is yet to come, because now the time has come for new rounds to start and young calves have to be bought and started up, which can sometimes cause serious income problems."
The budget that the province of Gelderland has reserved is not reserved as income support, is it?
"No, I want to be very clear about that right away. The province wants to combine aid for nature goals, nitrogen reduction goals and the corona crisis effectively and in the right places. But it starts with the Natura 2000 problem. This budget is only intended for companies that are close to the are located near these protected nature areas, in the province of Gelderland, mainly on the Veluwe."
How is the €30 million budget distributed?
"This concerns €10 million intended for investments in sustainable low-emission stables and €20 million for business termination. The investment subsidy can contribute to making companies eligible for the national scheme for sustainable stables, which has recently been renewed. Many veal farms do not qualify because they do not have a barn system with the correct RAV code. the correct RAV code does not award a subsidy to the ministry for the construction of new stables. This provincial investment subsidy is intended to be able to provide specific customization at a local level."
So there's 20 million going into business termination. A lot. Isn't it a matter of reorganizing an entire sector?
"No, by holding kitchen table discussions, the Province of Gelderland is investigating the possibilities of innovation, finding other revenue models and indeed also business termination. The veal farm in Gelderland has many hundreds of companies. This budget is at most sufficient for a few dozen companies. We don't want that either. very modern, large companies are signing up to stop, as seems to be happening due to the warm remediation scheme for pig farming."
When will the scheme come into effect?
"The broad outlines of how the €30 million will be spent are known, for whom it is intended and what conditions must be met. But a lot still needs to be worked out. The scheme will therefore not be finalized until after the summer recess of the Province of Gelderland at the earliest. in effect."
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