Minister Christianne van der Wal (Nature and Nitrogen) says she will listen to the farmers who will go to The Hague on June 22 protest against the government’s nitrogen plans. “I’m always open to good ideas,” she told in WNL On Sunday† “But the goals are clear cut. I have a clear assignment: half less nitrogen by 2030.”
Van der Wal repeated that she has “no choice” because the Netherlands must protect nature against excessive nitrogen emissions. “That glass of drinking water that we tap from the tap as if it were normal. But that water quality is really under pressure. The clean air we breathe: it’s really under pressure.”
The minister continued: “But also biodiversity, just the flowers and bees: it is under pressure. The flower and bees that we need for our food production. We should not take this lightly.”
The cabinet plan in brief
- In protected natural areas, nitrogen emissions must be reduced by at least 95 percent.
- In the ring around these areas by 70 percent.
- According to the RIVM, 45 percent of nitrogen precipitation comes from farms.
- So in some areas, many farmers will have to leave or otherwise significantly reduce their emissions.
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Minister will look at implementation next year
In the coming year, Van der Wal will look at exactly how emissions per area should be reduced. She also promises to look at innovations that farmers can use. In addition, she wants to prevent farmers from being forced to stop against their will as much as possible.
“In the coming years, we will have to look at the state of nature per area. Farmers must be able to measure how much nitrogen they emit on their own property,” says Van der Wal.
She also says that it is “super, super important” that nitrogen policy does not disrupt the way of life in rural areas.
Van der Wal sees the need for stricter policy to protect nature as maintenance overdue. “The Netherlands has not kept to the agreements. We should have done that twenty years ago.” According to her, the matter must now first be “put in order”.
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