Agricultural transition with fewer measures

What reactions and comments on the agricultural vision of Minister Carola Schouten (Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality). Apparently the agricultural sector is equally important. We have already seen it this summer.

Written by: Cor Pierik, agricultural spokesperson for CBS

Much attention has been paid to the dryness and there were also concerns about the food supply for animals and humans. It seems that today we face the problems in this order: first the amount of food available to the animals and then comes the humans. I am therefore curious whether the average consumer will notice anything from the extremely dry summer. In any case, we are not yet seeing any extreme price increases for foodstuffs in supermarkets.

2 robust cows on 1 hectare
Schouten has put a nice dot on the horizon. On the horizon in 2030 I see roughly 2 robust dairy cows walking on 1 hectare of grassland. I see a fully circular horticultural economy and I see arable farmers working closely with livestock farmers. In 2030, the word intensive will only apply to this collaboration and will no longer exist. Furthermore, the words innovative, technology, precision, consumer, experience and entrepreneurship predominate in the agricultural landscape of 2030.

These dream images are easy to imagine together. It is, of course, a question of an adequate package of measures that takes steps in this direction. In my opinion, few farmers are waiting for more measures. I am concerned about the feasibility of new measures. The sector has already had to take many measures and, just like with asylum policy, there are always distressing cases. Farmers who are wrongly victims of measures. 

How many LU per hectare
I am in favor of working with fewer measures and merely indicating the frameworks within which farming can take place. Then a long-term vision is crucial. You indicate how much LU per hectare is appropriate in the Netherlands. Then the companies can slowly work towards that. You indicate which part of the feed must come from the region in 2030 and what can still be 'flooded in'. You do work with milestones, otherwise little can be improved in theory by 2029.

I am a proponent of an innovative circular agricultural and horticultural economy facilitated by an enterprising government. In this way, the farmer can really do business again in the coming years.

Cor Pierik

Cor Pierik is a spokesperson at Statistics Netherlands (CBS). He mainly writes blogs about current facts and developments in the agricultural sector. Pierik can also be seen regularly in the 'BB Facts' section.

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