Coalition asks 1,3 billion for dairy farming

A coalition of parties in the Dutch dairy farming sector is asking the future cabinet an extra €1,3 billion to reduce nitrogen emissions and also implement other measures that are good for the environment. The so-called Coalition for the Future-proof Dairy Farming (CTM) proposes investments in stables, land and management.

According to CTM, this means that nitrogen emissions can be reduced by 2030% by 28 compared to 2019. Participants in this coalition are LTO Nederland, the NAJK, Rabobank and the NZO. The plan comes on top of the billions that LTO requested from the cabinet last week, together with nature and employers' organizations. The proposals have been calculated by Wageningen UR, the coalition emphasizes. 

3 spearheads
The proposal is based on 3 spearheads. CTM focuses purely on dairy farmers who would like to continue their business, the stayers. There is no room in this plan for companies that want to stop in the long term. Secondly, the plan is based on a combination of measures in barn management and adaptation of barn systems based on existing techniques. The latter is important, because possible nitrogen gains based on new techniques are not recognized by the Council of State. These techniques must first prove themselves in practice.

The third spearhead is for so-called non-productive ammonia reduction measures. The €1,3 billion in support is also needed for this. This includes new low-emission stables, more efficient feeding, fertilization with water (water storage) and more grazing (extra land via, for example, a land fund or land consolidation). According to the CTM, this makes dairy farming more extensive, because nitrogen emissions per hectare decrease. 

The parties emphasize that the cabinet must fully commit to legalizing the so-called PAS reporters and interim workers. "Nitrogen reduction can only take place if your company is legal," NAJK director Marije Klever said in the statement.

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