Background Nitrogen Mood
Talk unconcernedly about shrinking agriculture
About 35 participants were allowed to join the broad consultation on an agricultural agreement on Friday afternoon. They seem to be a kind of control group, to take with them what is forgotten at the main table or one of the side tables. Nevertheless, the government also seems to have made a strategic move with the subdivision into main table and sub tables, consciously or unconsciously. In our weekly section Nitrogen Mood, we give an impression of the nitrogen crisis in our own way.
Look at the table occupation to agriculture. At the main table is the compliant LTO foreman Sjaak van der Tak, a hesitant Agractie, and a NAJK and Biohuis who make little noise. While the pain is not on the main stage, but at the sector tables. Dairy, pig, poultry and veal farming, as well as parts of arable farming, can raise their problems at these tables. Exactly what is discussed in the consultations remains largely confidential, but there are no signs that the pressure on agriculture to give in, shrink and make room has eased.
New insights ignored
It is and will remain as it was since the coalition agreement, despite changing insights into the relative contribution of agricultural emissions. This was recently revealed in an article in the authoritative journal Nature. It states that the effect of internal combustion engines should weigh relatively much more heavily. The other known points should also not be tampered with. It is then all the more surprising that energy companies are allowed to use the nitrogen space of agricultural companies that have not been active for years for gas drilling, as MOB has shown. Or that the Netherlands does not protest against German lignite mining. How artificial should the separation between one bet and the other be?
Most of the House of Representatives also largely ignores the one-sided and ill-founded focus on agricultural emissions. When, as a result of that focus, strange errors come to light, such as a few months ago with the Top 100 nitrogen and ammonia emitters, an external investigation is announced, but action is not forthcoming.
Incorrect data RIVM
RIVM made the lists at the request of GroenLinks Member of Parliament Laura Bromet and went wrong on two occasions. Out now published WOO pieces it turns out that RIVM employees repeatedly based themselves on faulty data. This angered Minister Christianne van der Wal, the House of Representatives and various municipalities. There would be an external investigation to prevent a recurrence. According to the latest information from the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), there is still arguing about this.
Clamping livestock farming and participating in it carefree seems to be more important than conducting proper research. One bright spot for agriculture did appear from the published documents, if RIVM is okay with that. According to this, UBN numbers of agricultural companies also fall under the AVG legislation. If so, many agencies still have quite a bit of repair work to do.
Swan clings
In the meantime, informally organized agriculture is increasingly defending itself. After the start of a procedure against the linking of Aerius to the nitrogen legislation, the Stikstofclaim (SSC) and NewMob foundations started a procedure against the repair law for the designation of 101 Natura2000 areas. This, incidentally, had a remarkable effect. Both organizations had barely finished the summons when other agricultural organizations also asked for a copy. Swan clings. Yet not all of LTO object to the new designation of Natura 2000 areas. The ZLTO saw reason to do nothing.
Klaas van der Horst
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