Background Nitrogen mood
Van der Wal gives nitrogen fire one more boost
There will still be plenty of work to be done about nitrogen in the near future, but politically speaking the politicians seem to have lost some steam. This became clear in a number of debates last week House of Representatives. There is still debate, sometimes in a rather unpleasant way, but the ferocity has diminished. On both sides. In our Nitrogen Mood section we give an impression of the nitrogen crisis in our own way.
The parties that want to tackle agriculture further are slowing down, but they know that there is little to be gained for the time being. The parties that stand up for agriculture also seem a bit more matter-of-fact, as if they are slowing down until after the elections. Even outgoing minister Christianne van der Wal is actually showing herself to be a little more accommodating. She no longer necessarily has to keep repeating the nitrogen mantra of the fallen cabinet.
Get away quietly
However, some fireworks are still to be expected, but only because of the nature permit for Schiphol, which Van der Wal, as responsible minister, approved and got away with quietly. This happened after the House had made a judgment about which topics would or would not be considered controversial in the near future. Once that had been arranged, Van der Wal and her colleague Harbers from Infrastructure and Water Management Schiphol thought they could quickly help. The airport had already purchased enough farms for this purpose and therefore had sufficient nitrogen space.
We just had to wait a little longer for Van der Wal's approval for the exchange of agricultural nitrogen (NHx) for nitrogen from combustion engines (NOx). This did not appear to be an obstacle for the minister, even though almost the entire House of Representatives had spoken out against it, so notes protest organization Schipholwatch. Van der Wal defended herself with the argument that her decision fell within her own powers and that the House did not have to interfere with it.
Excess nitrogen space
The House of Representatives did not ignore this. She quickly called the minister to task, and a debate will follow on October 26. Moreover, the two mobility-loving ministers from the VVD house are strongly supported by the province of North Holland, which, according to Schipholwatch, also has no problem breaking promises as long as Schiphol is helped. As a consolation prize, North Holland will receive the excess nitrogen space from purchased farms that Schiphol still had left. Remarkably, they find the Amsterdam city council right in front of them. He has expressed his intention to challenge the licensing.
German standard helps Schiphol
Uit published documents Regarding the granting of permits for Schiphol, it appears that the government is well aware that nitrogen standards apply in neighboring countries than in the Netherlands and that it also agrees with that situation (the standards are favorable for Schiphol). A CDW of 7,14 moles per hectare is fine for Germany, as long as it remains 0,001 for the Netherlands.
Information trick
In recent weeks, everything has been done from The Hague, and also from the RIVM and even Wageningen, to defuse the now infamous deposition research by the University of Amsterdam. Here has been written about before. Even the UvA researchers participated almost guiltily. Minister Van der Wal tried to deny the impact of the study with responses that seemed to address the content of the report, but did not. That is a well-known information trick.
Steady nitrogen experts
Scientists such as Jan Willen Erisman and his equally steady colleague Wim de Vries indicated on the one hand that the research was actually nothing new, but on the other hand that they had always known that the deposition occurs little further than 500 meters around the farm. Suddenly they also remember all kinds of reports from a bottom drawer. Yet in the latest political debates it is striking how well the UvA report has been taken up by many politicians. The 500-meter circle, which was not previously defended by De Vries and colleagues, is apparently a new fact. Outside the political arena, the judge will probably have to rule on this again.
New battle themes
While the nitrogen debate is being conducted less fiercely, opponents of agriculture are bringing up new topics to fight about. Mobilization has already declared water quality the new battleground for the coming years, other groups believe that now is the time to declare glyphosate public enemy number 1. Minister Piet Adema - perhaps exhausted by the failed Agriculture Agreement - seems to be on the verge of giving up on the pressure surrounding this to admit.
Fresh batch
It seems good that there will be new elections, with which social relations will be measured again and after which a fresh crop of politicians can take office. Although, depending on where you stand on the political spectrum, they are also not going to get everything right.
Klaas van der Horst
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