News Nitrogen
Nitrogen target cabinet much higher than necessary
The government has set higher nitrogen targets than necessary. It has also been decided to divide the pain and not just buy peak loaders in a targeted manner. As a result, more farmers have to stop or extensify. Finance officials speak of 'overshooting'. The target is also likely to cost €10 billion more than has been earmarked for it. This, and more, is apparent from documents released by the cabinet.
The information was made public thanks to parliamentary questions from independent MP Pieter Omtzigt and Caroline van der Plas (BBB) about nitrogen memos - in response to an NRC piece.
Reduction target undesirable: too high, too expensive
In the coalition agreement, the government has brought forward the nitrogen target of a 74% emission reduction of nitrogen-sensitive nature areas below the critical deposition value from 2035 to 2030. The nitrogen plan of nitrogen minister Christianne van der Wal (VVD), as we wrote earlier, is based on a reduction of a total of 39.023 tons of ammonia (NH3) in livestock farming.
According to an advisory on the provincial reduction targets at the end of May, a reduction of more than 30.000 tons is more than what is needed to meet the legal target. At 30.000 tons of emission reduction, 77% of the nitrogen-sensitive nature will fall below the critical deposition value (KDW). At 40.000 tons, that is even 82%, according to officials from the Ministry of Finance.
overshooting
More companies are being affected than necessary. Significantly more livestock farms have to stop or extensify to meet the target overshoot, while this is not strictly necessary", according to the decision memorandum. This extra reduction is mainly achieved because companies that deposit relatively little nitrogen on nitrogen-sensitive nature also stop. Officials also question the mix of extensive extensification, no reduction target for other sectors and broad generic policy.
Costs €34 billion instead of €24
Furthermore, the budget is exceeded with this reduction target. According to the officials, a rough estimate shows that reduction costs 40.000 tons of €34 billion, while more than €24 billion has been earmarked for nitrogen reduction. 30.000 tons would just fit, although there is no room for support and innovation. According to the memorandum, with a target of 23.500 tons of emission reduction, the 10% KDW target could be achieved for more than €74 billion. However, according to the officials, this requires 'far-reaching focus and therefore mandatory buyout of companies'. The number of livestock farms that would have to stop at a target of 23.500 tons would be 5.300, while with the reduction target of 40.000 tons that would be 11.200 farms. The current reduction target also requires 17.600 livestock farmers to extensify.
Political purpose
According to the memorandum, LNV also appears to be pursuing a political goal with the reduction target of 40.000 tons. "By betting high, almost all jacks are hit and everyone shares in the pain, where a lower target hits a smaller number of jacks very hard (stop) ... A more even distribution of the pain may be easier to sell than a targeted approach," said the officials.
Buying out dairy farmers the least cost-effective
Other attached documents show that buying out dairy farmers is the least cost-effective. There is also a proposal to buy out farmers with veal calves first, followed by farmers with pigs and poultry. Officials also write that with voluntary schemes there is a great risk that targets cannot be achieved despite substantial investments.
Linda van Eekeres
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