Tjeerd de Groot: big kid, grandmaster or loser?

You can say anything about Tjeerd de Groot, but he is clear about his goal. And he does everything to achieve his goal. Whether it concerns growth of the livestock, which he advocated as director of NZO. Or, on the contrary, halving the herd, which he put himself in the spotlight in 2019 as a member of parliament for D66. For Tjeerd de Groot it all seems to be one big chess game, which he is only too happy to win.

In March 2017, Tjeerd de Groot left the Dutch Dairy Organization after seven years. As director, he invariably pleaded for the growth of the Dutch dairy sector, as evidenced by the archives of, among others, 2011 en 2015. As director, he was also responsible for the Sustainable Dairy Chain project, which, in his own words, means "the Dutch dairy sector worldwide belongs to the top in terms of sustainability".

Double game or boast?
In March 2017, Tjeerd de Groot became a member of the D66 parliamentary group. After two years of parliamentary membership, he surprised friend and foe by pleading in September 2019 for halving the herd. At that time, he was still concerned with halving the number of chickens, pigs and goats because of the nitrogen. Land-based livestock farming was still unaffected at that time. When it later became clear to him that the ammonia emissions from the Dutch herd amounted to approx 55% comes from cattle (and only for about 10%, 15% and 2% of chickens, pigs and goats) he could not go back. He personally turned out to be the executioner of the Dutch dairy sector. Anyone who puts on big trousers must keep them up afterwards, Tjeerd would have thought boastfully.  

Grandmaster
Since his statement, Tjeerd de Groot has been playing the strategic game to achieve his political goal like a true grandmaster. He is the 'prime minister' in a contemporary variation of the story'the emperor's new clothes'. Like the prime minister in this story, he cunningly exploits the pride and peer pressure of the emperor (politics) and his court (ministries), who have asked the tailors (consultants) for clothes (policies) of a unique fabric (AERIUS and KDW). The tailors in the contemporary version of this story are the consultancy services, who refused to say no to political pressure and have produced a fabric "that you can only see if you are very intelligent".

In the period 2010 - 2014 unique models developed with which you no longer had to do research outside, but could calculate information to an incredible level of detail at the touch of a button. Never before seen, from the outside category, internationally unique in its kind. You already understand: the Netherlands had developed unique calculation models, the performance of which was 'too good' to be true. Hordijk Committee en TNO In terms of level of detail and calculation rules, the application of these models already referred to the land of fables: not purposeful, not scientific. However, the "court household" in The Hague decided otherwise. Now backing down was no longer an option and I decided to follow the advice of the State Attorney: straight behind the instrument Calculator remain standing and continue to exude confidence in it.

Pride and peer pressure
Tjeerd de Groot is an intelligent man and, as a former political assistant to Minister of Agriculture Brinkhorst and later Deputy Director of International Affairs at the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, he is very familiar with circles in The Hague. And although he knows very well that the current application of the instruments 'AERIUS' and 'KDW' is not tenable, he is putting pressure on The Hague to stick to it for the time being. He also misses no opportunity to proclaim that innovations are pseudo-solutions, that the agreements from the coalition agreement on the reduction of livestock must be implemented one-on-one and that the minister must introduce mandatory instruments (forced purchase and withdrawal of permits) to this end. Bet. Anyone who puts forward reasonable alternatives for reducing livestock is ridiculed and looked down upon as a 'nitrogen or science denier'. Like the members of the D66-Focus group nitrogen experienced firsthand.

For a member of parliament of a party, who prides himself on his liberal and scientific view of things, the sacred belief in halving livestock and ignoring scientific advice is difficult to explain rationally. It is known that he harbors feelings of resentment towards his former employer NZO, brother-in-arms Nevedi and "bath-bench Rabobank". He believes that all parties who have earned money from the expansion of the livestock population must first suffer the financial pain before he actually wants to get started with the transition to circular agriculture. That individual farmers become victims of this is not his goal, but is a unfortunate consequence of the wrong choice that farmers ultimately made to expand.

His aim to halve the livestock has been achieved through a target to release 40 kilotons of ammonia from agriculture through the budget in the coalition agreement found its way into the coalition agreements: a total of €20 billion is set aside in the coalition agreement for buying up farmers, €2,1 billion for administrative administrative costs and €2,7 billion for innovation, which will only be made available at a later date. The firm agreements on this that Tjeerd goes back to time and time again have become part of the coalition agreement with VVD, CDA and CU via an indicative calculation.

These parties now know that Tjeerd and his network in The Hague interpret 'indicative' differently. For example, Tjeerd and his network have spun a web of AERIUS and KDW to reduce the herd by at least 2025% before the elections in 30 and preferably halve it. Purchases can still be made voluntarily in 2023. This will be followed by the imposition of high reduction percentages, enforcement and/or the withdrawal of permits, followed by a purchase from bankruptcy.

Grandmaster, big kid, or big loser?
With his network in The Hague, Tjeerd de Groot has spun a cunning web of complicated-sounding models from KDW and AERIUS, which is difficult for unsuspecting farmers, citizens and administrators to perceive. As the time of 'do or die' comes closer, Tjeerd starts to fall into the basket with his remarkable behavior. He no longer only arouses irritation among farmers and Johan Remkes with his sacred belief in halving the livestock population. There is also increasing irritation among his coalition partners VVD, CDA and CU about the pushiness and tenacity with which he clamps down on his partners with the coalition agreements made.

He never misses an opportunity to call out that the minister should deploy mandatory instruments to tackle farmers and quickly withdraw permits for the construction of houses, such as GroenLinks, PvdA, PvdD also advocate. Tjeerd de Groot is clear about the goal to be achieved: reduction of the livestock population by at least 30% and preferably 50% during this government's term of office. So you can't blame him for not being honest about that. What he can be blamed for is that in order to achieve this goal he is very selective about 'scientific truthsand twisted conclusions of advice in an effort to achieve its goal. Advice, reports and scientists with a message that do not suit him are ignored or ridiculed by him.

For Tjeerd de Groot it is one big strategic political chess game, which he apparently wants to win at all costs. In doing so, he has morally passed the point where he realizes that he must victimize farmers who have acted in good faith and, in his own words, "are among the world's best in sustainability". And this on the basis of policy instruments, which he knows are being applied incorrectly. The 'competition' with Tjeerd can still be reversed. Then it must be made clear before 1 July 2023 that emissions can still be reduced by at least 50% through management and innovation. At that time, the provinces can include this emission reduction in the reduction plans, which the provinces must submit by 1 July 2023. Then the indicative allocation of resources can be adjusted accordingly, the resources required for innovation can be made available and there will be a view of the inevitable reduction path to which the Netherlands has committed itself in the Nitrogen Reduction and Nature Restoration Act.

Tjeerd de Groot served in the agriculture budget debate together with VVD and CDA into a motion to make agreements about this in the agricultural agreement and to start with a 'substance balance 2023' in 1.0. A substance balance can provide insight into the results of management measures and innovations. If this motion is implemented in time and emission reduction through management and innovation is part of the plans submitted by the provinces as of 1 July 2023, then the reorganization of the livestock in 2024 will no longer be an issue. As of July 1, 2023, the result of the chess match with Tjeerd de Groot will be known and we will hopefully see whether grandmaster Tjeerd also proves to be a big loser. 

Arnold van Dorp

Arnold van Dorp (46) is a dairy farmer in Hazerswoude-Dorp with his own view on things.

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