Politics
Worried farmers meet about nitrogen plans: 'We are prepared to take action
- We are going to explain the cabinet's letter, explain what it means regionally and discuss possible actions, says dairy farmer Everdien Kuiper, organizer of the meeting at a transport company in the Overijssel municipality.
- Farmers say 'we'll see how it goes because we're not going to participate in it anyway', but we have the feeling that no one knows what's coming their way, says Kuiper.
- According to her, farmers are prepared to take action when it becomes clear what is going on.
- For the time being, this would concern local and regional actions.
About a hundred farmers will meet in Hardenberg tonight to discuss the government's nitrogen plans. "We are going to explain the cabinet's letter, explain what it means regionally and discuss possible actions, says dairy farmer Everdien Kuiper, organizer of the meeting at a transport company in the Overijssel municipality. "Farmers say 'we'll see how it goes because we're not going to participate in it anyway', but we have the feeling that no one knows what's coming their way, says Kuiper.
According to her, farmers are prepared to take action when it becomes clear what is going on. For the time being, this would concern local and regional actions. Farmer's action group Agractie sees increasing unrest among farmers about the nitrogen plans, says chairman Erik Luiten.
According to him, "things are brewing" among farmers and the first actions will be held next week. Zones around nature reserves On June 26, the government presented a package that should remove the Netherlands from the nitrogen lock. Zones of one kilometer will be created around fifteen large nature reserves and zones of 500 meters around 85 other nature reserves.
For farms in those areas, this may mean that they have to stop, move or invest in measures to reduce nitrogen emissions. In addition, the government wants to reduce nitrogen emissions from agriculture nationally by 42 to 46 percent compared to 2019. The measures are raising concerns in the agricultural sector. Luiten, who has a dairy farm with 150 cows, speaks of a series of measures with far-reaching consequences.
"When I look at my own company, I see that I have to invest tons of money to be able to meet it, while still making the same turnover. In the economic world, that simply doesn't work. 'Not afraid of investments' According to Luiten, the problem is not that farmers do not want to invest.
"Most entrepreneurs are not afraid to make investments. Only with investments do you also want to see that you have a revenue model and that you can earn from it. That is not the case at all in this story.
There is a challenge to invest tons, but without increasing turnover. The government acknowledges that the proposals will hurt. However, according to the government, intervention is inevitable.
After years of stalled nitrogen policy, there must be room to grant permits again for new homes and roads, among other things. Agriculture Minister Van Essen previously warned against weakening the plans. In the debate on July 2, he emphasized that the package of measures forms a coherent whole and that weakening parts is not possible without consequences.
Otherwise he feared "standstill". Willingness to take action The concerns among farmers seem to be increasingly spilling over into a willingness to take action, says Erik Luiten. Last week, farmers gathered in Apeldoorn.
According to Luiten, possible actions are being discussed in various app groups. "Next week there will be actions on a local and regional scale, he says. It is not yet clear what form these actions will take.
“Everything is possible, says Luiten. He points out that there are farmers who decide for themselves how they want to express their dissatisfaction.
Source: NOS