'Budget determines the heat of nitrogen remediation'

The agricultural sector has reacted moderately positively to the Remkes committee's advice to break the deadlock in nitrogen policy. "The budget will determine how warm the remediation will be," says Trienke Elshof, portfolio holder on this file at LTO Nederland. 

The core of the report is that all sectors must contribute. "All economic sectors that have nitrogen emissions must make a contribution. This must be in balance, taking into account cost pressure", chairman Johan Remkes made clear on Wednesday 25 September. "Hard choices have to be made." Agriculture is also affected. 

Remediation, buying up and parking
Remkes argues for a selective, area-specific and targeted reduction of ammonia in livestock farming. This is where customization comes into play and therefore no generic discount. Remkes wants to remediate or buy out agricultural companies with relatively high emissions or outdated housing systems in and near vulnerable Natura 2000 areas. 

The commission indicates that internal and external netting can be used, but in all cases creaming must take place. This creaming concerns first of all the latent space. The committee also wants to enforce by means of a General Binding Declaration that the techniques that result in the most emissions are applied in the operational management.

'We have been listened to'
Elshof sees that the committee has listened to the input from LTO Nederland and other interest groups. "Look, for example, at the area-oriented approach that we have introduced. However, the advice goes much further on a number of points and I am concerned about that." Elshof refers to the purchase of companies.

"The council indicates that this is voluntary, but at the same time everything has to be done under great time pressure. How voluntary will this become in practice? It also has great doubts about the creaming of internal and external netting. to start netting and then it will miss its target." Elshof thinks that the so-called flanking policy will be very important. "What this will look like is not yet clear. It is also not clear how much money will be made available. The budget will probably be very decisive."

Elshof is disappointed that she does not see anything of the threshold value of 1 mol that LTO would have liked. "A higher threshold value solves many acute problems and is also much more in line with the policies of the surrounding countries. All in all, the entire advice relies heavily on the agricultural sector." 

Demonstration October 1 
The call by Tjeerd de Groot (D66) to halve the livestock (in the context of nitrogen reduction) was the immediate reason for the demonstration on 1 October. How does Elshof view this now? "I understand the need to send out a signal very well. But a demonstration does not immediately lead to a different policy. You need consultation and lobby for that. I also understand the dissatisfaction, it is a pity that our work is often so invisible. You can compare this with the '80-20 rule': you get 80%, but not 20% and then it is only about that 20%. That is very ungrateful."

Speed ​​reduction
As expected, Remkes has introduced a speed reduction on national and provincial roads. The demonstrable effect on vulnerable nature must also be considered. In this first advisory report, the shipping and aviation committee does not take this into account. However, these will be included in the policy in the following advice. As far as industry is concerned, it is not clear what contribution industry makes to nitrogen deposition in nitrogen-sensitive Natura 2000 areas. The Advisory Board wants to clarify this first.

May 2020
In May 2020, the advisory board will issue the following advice, which focuses on a new nitrogen policy. Remkes: "We are going to look at a reconstruction of the PAS and the Natura 2000 policy." The council will also look at the scope within the guidelines prescribed by Brussels.

Remkes indicates that this also applies in any case to measures for freight transport, public transport and shipping and aviation. "The urgency is felt and shared everywhere, in industry, construction and livestock farming, in nature and environmental organizations and mobility organisations. I hope that this sense of urgency is also shared across the government. Parties sometimes have to step over their shadows", said Remkes. 

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