Nevertheless, the cabinet wants to keep forced buy-out of farmers as a big stick. “Nature is in bad shape in our country. Certain plants no longer get nutrients and as a result there are fewer insects,” says Van der Wal. “Biodiversity is under pressure. We want clean air, clean water and we want to be able to build houses.”
A majority of the House currently understands this, but wants to know in the long term what the prospects are for farmers who do not want to stop. The MPs wonder: can those farmers start another business elsewhere? Can they supplement their income with nature conservation? Can they keep their land?
Van der Wal says that she cannot anticipate this and cannot make any commitments. “The provinces are now entering into those discussions. That differs per case, customization. I cannot make any promises about that.” She points out that a lot of money is available for nitrogen policy, 25 billion euros.
In the near future, the government will speak with sixty so-called peak loaders, i.e. companies that are located close to damaged nature reserves.
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