About half of the farmers are willing to do more for the environment. But they do need extra support and certainty, say the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) and the VU University Amsterdam after research.
The research shows that just over half of the farmers are already doing something for the environment. They only mow their grass after the breeding season, they give their cattle more environmentally friendly feed and they use cleaner machines. According to the researchers, those farmers are willing to do much more.
But the farmers don’t dare, because there is a lot of uncertainty about their future. Farmers must be able to trust that the rules do not change every cabinet term; they must have certainty about their income, says the PBL.
Subsidies and loans
Money must be made available for the purchase of even cleaner machines and the refurbishment of stables. Part of the European agricultural subsidies should be made ‘green’ for that, the researchers say. And banks should rather provide loans.
Farmers who now do nothing for the environment at all would not be easily persuaded with the extra support to work in a more environmentally friendly way, says the PBL.
Farmers’ organization LTO is pleased that the research shows that many farmers are already working environmentally friendly, but measures must be economically justified. There is a role for consumers there, says LTO, because they must be prepared to pay more for products.
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