Nitrogen approach leads to food scarcity

I have read the nitrogen report of LTO Nederland, Natuurmonumenten, Natuur&Milieu, VNO-NCW and Bouwend Nederland. A plan with even higher objectives than our government demands. It contains points as an innovation to reduce nitrogen emissions. A very good thing. I only wonder whether LTO speaks on behalf of the farmers.

The solution to the nitrogen problem is almost exclusively obtained from our farmers. The farmers' natural nitrogen emissions, which disappear in 10 years and are therefore not harmful, are exchanged for non-natural nitrogen, which takes 1.000 years before this nitrogen is absorbed by nature again. Doesn't seem like a good deal to me from an environmental point of view.

The bottom line is that farmers have to extensify or move or stop. In short, our food production is shrinking. For every hectare of land that disappears here and becomes nature reserve, several hectares of nature must be converted into agricultural land abroad. After all, our farmers are not doing it for fun, but to feed us humans. This, too, is technically not an advance for nature, but a regression.

Clearly noticeable scarcity of raw materials
Then there is the next problem: the now clearly noticeable scarcity of raw materials. The 24-hour economy, ordering today and having it delivered the same night, is starting to crumble. Delivery times of six months are becoming very common. It is not just a scarcity of raw materials.

We have sold all the raw materials all over the world to the Asian countries. Their economy is also starting to grow. They also want a car. And just like we eat Chinese once, they want to eat Western food. The result: they no longer supply all the raw materials to us, but now keep a part for themselves. Justifiably. The raw materials are theirs and we depend on their good will. Only the food is not theirs yet. The Asians are already busy with it, because they are now buying large farms all over the world.

We now also want to get rid of the largest industry that still produces in the Netherlands - our agriculture. Then we have to buy our food from abroad. China buys so much food on the world market that all prices for agricultural products are now also going up. There was on the news: the Brazilian government has locked the export of luxury meat to China in particular for a month, because their own population revolted against the huge price increases for the meat. A harbinger of what awaits us, especially if our farmers have been driven out or have to switch to nature-inclusive.

Charge rates
If this switch to nature-inclusive has to be done by our government and the nature authorities, then there should be a price list which compensations farmers can charge to the government.

For the government, these fees will look like the following, for example.

1. 1 ha of wet grass €1.750 euros compensation per year
2. 10 centimeters higher water level 500 euros compensation per hectare
3. An edge in plants with trees or shrubs €500 euros per 100 meters
4. Herb-rich mixture instead of good grassland €1.000 per hectare
5. Later mow €500 per hectare. And so on.

Don't hold me to the prices, the rates have to be negotiated, but one thing is certain: it costs the government a lot of money with virtually no environmental benefit. This is the only way for farmers to earn an income. After all, the majority of consumers are not prepared to pay more for their food. Many people can no longer afford to pay, because when you buy a house and have a normal income, there is not much money left to spend on food.

Jaap Major
Low Zuthem

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