Central government real estate company can quickly solve 'nitrogen crisis'

I would first like to state the following: the nitrogen crisis is not a crisis. It is a politically self-created crisis that actually does not exist. I continue to be amazed for the past few weeks.

I am surprised that there is no answer to the question of why the choices were made in the Natura 2000 file at the time. And I'm also amazed at why we don't maintain or adapt the standards that are possible within European policy, so that there is no longer a crisis mathematically. The solution I outline below is only hypothetical and in fact only feasible if politicians and officials do not continue to work with their own calculators.

Nobody knows how to deal with the problem of nitrogen and how to control agriculture. In any case, there are probably many farmers who do business around Natura 2000 areas, who have little or no prospects in the long run. Something that I think is causing the anger. Running a business without perspective is the worst thing that can happen to you. It is reminiscent of the period 1950-1960, when there were also farmers without prospects.

Hague visionaries
Visionaries in The Hague, however, had a solution for this: the Flevopolders. A new piece of land with good soil that offered farmers who were in trouble elsewhere or had no prospects a new chance. And see how it worked. The same government can now offer the farmers around Natura2000 a new perspective with the same Flevoland.

The Central Government Real Estate Agency still owns thousands of hectares of land in Flevoland, which it now leases out by auction for a short time (at the top price). The company leaves farms empty and anti-squat people live in them. In addition, we still have the Erf Foundation, which temporarily manages land for the government in Flevoland, with the aim of eventually being closed down. Stichting Erf also manages 1.000 hectares of land. We also see many sleeping tenants in Flevoland. In other words, tenants who in fact no longer farm, but who do not return the lease and who use smart constructions to occupy a farm until their death.

Close cycle
I suspect if you offer the sleeping tenant €20.000 per hectare that they are immediately prepared to surrender the lease. With these three groups together, I estimate that 6.000 hectares of agricultural land can easily be released in the short term. This opens the way for farmers in Natura2000 areas, who really want to continue farming, and offers perspective again. Livestock farmers are also very welcome for Flevoland to better close the cycle (also a narrow word) for arable farmers. 

Considering this, it all remains very special that the government itself holds the key to this and 60 years ago actually already created the solution for a possible (fictional) problem.

Keith Maas

Kees Maas is director of the DCA Group. He has more than 25 years of experience in commodities trading, both on the stock exchanges and in the physical market. Maas is a specialist in price risk management and a much sought-after sparring partner for food companies for their sales and purchasing strategy.

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