The Dutch farmer is blamed for everything

If you follow the news a bit, you will stumble over the problems that are blamed on the agricultural sector in the Netherlands. "The farmer is blamed for everything," says Jaap Majoor. “By rewarding farmers for their efforts, we can improve the environment together,” he writes.

The agricultural sector in the Netherlands (and elsewhere) has been charged with a number of cases. Below is a summary:

• CO₂-emission - Grassland takes a lot of CO₂ and provides oxygen. This data is not included in the calculations. Only what the cow emits is counted.
• Air pollution - The measuring points are placed next to a chicken shed.
• Surface water pollution - The reports showing that pollution is caused by sewer overflows are being swept under the table. There is 1 measuring point at a sewage treatment plant.
• Extinction of insects by plant protection products - Every beekeeper knows that there is a disease among the bees.
• Biodiversity decline - Right now many farmers are sowing a mixture of all kinds of grasses.
• Extinction of meadow birds - Cameras have been placed at the nests of the meadow birds. This shows that the marten, fox and stork have increased in population to such an extent that they plunder all the nests.
• Deforestation of tropical jungles for animal feed - Soy and palm oil are also used to make meat and milk substitutes for human consumption. The garbage; soya meal and palm kernels are processed in animal feed.
• particulate matter - The agricultural sector has been able to reduce emissions enormously (through all kinds of adjustments). In the last 10 years, particulate matter has increased again, while the livestock has decreased. The problem is not with agriculture, but with the increase in traffic and especially aviation.
• The general media - Which only reports negatively about farmers.

All farmers from the Netherlands?
A farmer is judged worse than a criminal. To top it all off, politicians in The Hague have also awarded the phosphate rights, intended for dairy farmers, to beef farmers. As a result, dairy farmers are again subject to additional cuts. The regulations are constantly changing, so that farmers no longer know what to do. There are still farmers who do not know how much they are allowed to produce.

It seems that politicians in The Hague want to make the Dutch farmer disappear. This can't be true. However, if this is so, it will later be in the history books: the most unwise decision ever made by politics.

Solution: start with yourself
How should this proceed? Sustainable agriculture is needed, but what is this? It starts with fair compensation to the farmer (for his labor and his invested capital). When we reward the farmer, we can demand the following points from the farmer:

1. Phasing out the fertilizer industry. Instead, the farmer may use more manure from his own livestock on his land. The guideline for this will then be a few measuring points in his country. If the leaching of minerals is too high in a measuring point, then he is obliged to remove manure. Then all those unclear regulations can disappear.
2. Reducing crop protection agents and applying mechanical weed control. If this does not work, then it is only necessary to resort to chemical control; in any case, green manures should no longer be sprayed to death. Furthermore, precision sprayers must recognize those crops and only spray where there are weeds.
3. Using agricultural farm buildings for solar panels. Digesting livestock manure for energy and less CO₂emissions. Place a windmill near the buildings if necessary.
4. Trying to raise the water level in peatlands to reduce subsidence and methane emissions.
5. It is mandatory to grow a flower mixture for insects on 1% of your soil.
6. In order to keep the agricultural sector competitive with other countries, the farmer is allowed to know how many cows he keeps. He may only not exceed the standard in the measuring points on his land. If necessary, the manure is transported to a fellow farmer, who in turn must also meet the leaching requirements.
7. Prevention of structural deterioration of the soil.
8. Growing green manures to increase the organic matter content of the soil as much as possible.

If we meet all these points, then we are ready for the future. We should not blame the farmer for everything, but together we should try to improve the environment and for that we have to start with ourselves. So, political The Hague wake up!

Jaap Major
Low Zuthem

Boerenbusiness

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