Farmers in Gelderse Vallei Refuse Buy-Out Scheme Despite Excess Nitrogen Emissions near Natura 2000 Areas: News Hour Conversation with Livestock Farmers

• Dieuwke van Ooij

  news reporter

Tomorrow, the Ministry of Agriculture will post a calculation model online that farmers can use to see whether they are a so-called peak loader. They are if they excrete too much nitrogen near a protected Natura 2000 area. But not many farmers are interested in such a buy-out arrangement.

This is evident from a conversation with several livestock farmers from the Gelderse Vallei who this weekend at the invitation of Newsuur gave their views on the ongoing nitrogen dossier.

The minister wants to use the calculation tool to locate around 3,000 dairy farms, pig farms, veal calf farms and poultry farms that are eligible for buyout. This arrangement means that farmers can sell their farms to the State for 120 or 130 percent of the value. This will be voluntary for the time being.

“Over my dead body that I’m leaving. I’ll continue, even if it’s with two cows, if I can put my passion into it,” says cattle farmer Elton van Ginkel resolutely.

He and his fellow livestock farmers in the Gelderse Vallei indicate that they have no confidence whatsoever in the regulations and policy of the current ministers Piet Adema and Christianne van der Wal. The latter actually announced the calculation tool to get out of the impasse. Farmers can immediately see whether their company emits too much nitrogen. The nitrogen space that is released after the buy-out is primarily intended for farmers who are without a permit through no fault of their own: the so-called PAS detectors.

Although many farmers are curious about the calculation tool, none of the farmers are News hour wants to make use of the buy-out scheme. Kalverboer Ben Apeldoorn: “In recent years, the sector has already reduced nitrogen by 8 percent, despite the lack of policy. We are afraid that it will never be enough. Even if we were to reduce nitrogen by half, it would still not be good.”

Apeldoorn thinks that there are political parties in the Chamber that are only satisfied “when the last farmer is gone”. “And that while the rest of the economy is allowed to continue to grow. Why should we participate in that process? We simply have to be offered a right to exist,” says the farmer.

Many young farmers certainly do not intend to give up their plans for the future, despite stricter nitrogen rules. Calf farmer Henriëtte Rozendaal: “No victory without battle. All this only makes me more combative.”

The lack of confidence in the policy means that there is little enthusiasm to sign a settlement. “You shouldn’t make agreements with parties you don’t trust. At the moment I don’t think everything in The Hague and Brussels can be trusted,” says one of them.

Most farmers mainly want to continue with their farming business. And they want to think along about solutions for nitrogen emissions. Van Ginkel: “In the Gelderse Vallei, a 50 percent reduction can be achieved at our own pace. If you count all sectors. If my neighbor stops now, that doesn’t count. I’m going to feed less protein, then that doesn’t count. Nothing counts, except if Schiphol buys the permits to be able to fly extra again, then that is suddenly allowed.”

The farmers’ distrust in policymakers mainly arises because there is no end goal in sight, says dairy farmer Apeldoorn. “As soon as that ultimate goal is clear to farmers, we can move forward. After four years, we still don’t know where we stand. As long as other sectors in the Dutch economy are allowed to continue to grow, we will never be done as farmers.”