For the first time I agree with Jesse Klaver

First of all, my compliments to Mr Remkes for how well he has worded this 'What is possible' report. As a farmer you feel for the first time understanding and appreciation in society for the problems and challenges that have come your way. Even the nitrogen ticket is off the table and Minister Christianne van der Wal has apologized for her harsh words to the farmers. Great you would say.

I never agree with Jesse Klaver, but now I do for the first time, when he said about this report: "the farmers are beautiful in it." Because what is my surprise. Minister van der Wal's card has to be removed from the table, but a new card, albeit with different colors, will be returned. However, the colors have approximately the same meaning as Van der Wal's map. We are again in suspense what color our area will get.

Why don't we say: the polluter pays. There is talk of nitrogen deposition and the farmers are held accountable for that. All nitrogen emissions from farmers, traffic, industry, our people, the nature reserve itself and abroad are added up. This sum is not in the hands of the farmers. Much better and easier is: look at the farmer's emissions and hold him accountable for this. Place a random point in each province. Circle that point. Then see which 100 farms are closest to that point. Determine their nitrogen emissions. Then you have an average and this average is the starting point for the nitrogen emissions.

The farmer just has to know for himself
By 2030, these emissions must be reduced by 50%. How? The farmer must know. There are already all kinds of technical possibilities. An example: fermenting the manure and thus also providing citizens with green gas. Give him a grant to make this happen. Buying out is a much more expensive option and also increases the food price. Also don't forget that the farmer provides us with food every day. If the farmer has left here, he will have to supplement this with much worse soil. You can safely say: 1 hectare of agricultural land has been removed from here, 10 hectares of nature have been reclaimed abroad for the production of food. So also detrimental to nature worldwide.

Also consider: a farmer's plot absorbs CO2 en masse and supplies a lot of oxygen through carbon dioxide assimilation. In this way, farmers help to combat climate change and feed us. A nature reserve absorbs some CO2 during growth and in winter it takes up oxygen again due to the rotting of the vegetation. A good cultivation layer also retains water to prevent desiccation. When the cultivation layer is gone, the water is no longer retained. Natural areas therefore result in desiccation. A mature forest is also CO2 neutral.

Loss of 62.500 ha of agricultural land due to buffer strips
This also applies to the new manure rules with 3 meter wide buffer strips along the waterways. The farmer has lost this land. Across the Netherlands, 62.500 ha has again been removed from agriculture. With a lot of difficult rules that have to be met. Incomprehensible to the farmer himself. Much easier is: farmer you arrange it yourself, what you do with your land and manure. We set up a few measuring points on your land and there we are not allowed to measure more nitrogen loss than the rules from Brussels. If the emissions are too high, you can no longer buy fertilizer or you have to dispose of manure. Until the losses are good again. The farmer is therefore encouraged to store as much organic matter as possible in order to counteract global warming. Besides, all EU Member States must comply with the same rules.

Government: you are on the wrong track in terms of global warming, agriculture, nature and economic consequences. Or do you not dare to measure the nitrogen emissions of the farmer, afraid that it will become apparent that nitrogen deposition and water quality are determined by many more factors than agriculture alone.

Jaap Major
Low Zuthem

Boerenbusiness

below Boerenbusiness opinions are posted from authors who, in principle, give their opinion once Boerenbusiness.nl or from people who prefer to remain anonymous. Name and place of residence are always known to the editors.

© DCA Market Intelligence. This market information is subject to copyright. It is not permitted to reproduce, distribute, disseminate or make the content available to third parties for compensation, in any form, without the express written permission of DCA Market Intelligence.