'Slaughter tax is disastrous for Dutch livestock farming'

A slaughter tax proposed by the Party for the Animals is disastrous for livestock farming. This is what the advocate LTO Nederland writes on its website. "With the bill, the party imposes yet another tax on Dutch farmers and specifically the livestock farmers. In addition, the proposed rates for some animals are as high or even higher than the selling price. The party is thus killing livestock farming."

The Party for the Animals has introduced a private member's bill for a so-called 'slaughter tax'. Advocate LTO Nederland is baffled. According to LTO, the party is thus imposing yet another extra tax on Dutch farmers. What particularly stings the caretaker is the fact that the proposed rates for some animals are as high or even higher than the selling price. This makes Dutch meat unaffordable, which means that consumers will end up with less sustainably produced meat from abroad on their plate.

'Extra costs and therefore no extra cost'
The private member's bill states that farmers must pay a new tax the moment the cattle go to the slaughterhouse. "Slaughterhouses and supermarkets will not just incorporate this price increase in the consumer price," writes LTO Nederland on its website. "In short, it means that the farmer is presented with the bill. These are again extra costs for which there is no additional cost."

According to LTO Nederland, this also ensures that Dutch meat is priced out of the European market. "The moment meat from Dutch soil becomes unaffordable, supermarkets will reach for meat from abroad even faster. This means that there is no longer a cow in the Dutch pasture, but the consumer does not eat less steak. The slaughter tax is an ordinary means of to achieve the 75% reduction of the Dutch livestock herd desired by the Party of the Animals."

'Brake on sustainability'
The Central Organization for the Meat Sector (COV) is also dismayed at the party's proposal. †If the proposal were to go through, an amount of more than €1 billion would be withdrawn from farmers. That money is desperately needed to make the chain more sustainable together. We therefore see the proposal of the Party for the Animals as unrealistic, but also counterproductive," said the COV in a press release. 

Incidentally, LTO Nederland wonders aloud whether the party's proposal is feasible. The rules within the European Union state that it is not allowed in a country to give companies a competitive advantage. "Conversely, a Member State may not impose a competitive disadvantage."

Kimberly Baker

Kimberly Bakker is an all-round editor at Boerenbusiness. She also has an eye for the social media channels of Boerenbusiness.

k.baker @boerenbusiness. Nl

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