There is only one solution to the nitrogen debacle – Opinion Jaap Majoor

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Christianne van der Wal, the Minister of Nature and Nitrogen, has announced her plans. In various areas of the Netherlands, farmers have to disappear, voluntarily or not. She has attached a map, which indicates the future of our farmers. In her letter, only the clearing of the farmers is mentioned as a clear solution. The rest of the emitters, such as Schiphol, for example, are not taken into account.

Our farmers emit the natural nitrogen NH3. A single farmer may stay if he starts farming very extensively. Only the prices of its products will become much more expensive for consumers than they already are. This in stark contrast to other news from America. There the company has Amogy an agricultural tractor converted with a fuel cell. This is fed with NH3 (ammonia). They are now going to convert a truck and in the future even say that ships can be built on ammonia. We also want to switch completely to sustainable electricity. This electricity must be stored by converting it into green hydrogen. This process causes great losses. If you use urine instead of water, the yield will be much greater. These new techniques therefore require a larger livestock

The following facts are also not included in the nitrogen decrees:

• Research has shown that nitrogen emissions can no longer be measured outside a circle of a few hundred meters around a farm. The nitrogen from the barn precipitates almost immediately. This nitrogen emission is therefore not detrimental to nature in the area.
• In the last 40 years, the goose population has increased more than tenfold. We now have almost 3 million geese. They produce an enormous amount of nitrogen that is emitted in the middle of the Natura 2000 area. These emissions do have adverse consequences for the poor nature.
• The managers of the Natura 2000 areas use large grazers to eat the plants. These are thousands. These grazers also defecate in the middle of the Natura 2000 area and therefore have direct consequences for nitrogen emissions.
• In areas that are not fertilized (ie the Natura 2000 areas), denitrification results in nitrogen emissions of up to 35 kilos of nitrogen per ha.
• Farmers’ lands absorb more nitrogen than they emit. Only the emissions are counted and the uptake of nitrogen by the crops is not counted.
• The CO2 content in the air has increased 1.5 times over the past 50 years due to our prosperity. As a result, the plants grow faster and therefore need more nitrogen. Too little nitrogen is already available to many plants, which means that the plants contain too little protein. This reduces the insect population.

When you put these facts together, we have to ask ourselves to what extent we can blame agriculture. Isn’t there much more nitrogen in the nature reserve due to the management of the nature managers themselves? Our Minister van der Wal continues to insist that agriculture must go. Her motivation is: the judge has spoken. She also hides behind Brussels. Very special when you realize that the Netherlands has imposed much stricter rules on itself than the EU.

The Netherlands completely ruined

Nature needs to be improved and the government is trying to achieve this by reducing nitrogen emissions. The buyout of farmers will not help and in a few years the MOB will be in court again and will then sue the companies. Until the Netherlands is completely destroyed. After all, there are already scholars who say: if all the people and companies are gone from the Netherlands, the nitrogen emissions will still be too great because of what blows over from abroad.

The only solution is a revision of which nitrogen load is allowed in the Natura 2000 areas. We cannot protect that one plant that cannot withstand nitrogen. After all, the Netherlands is the delta of Europe, where the fertile slip from the rivers has been deposited for millions of years. These areas will never become poor nature. Government you are now going to burn your ships, while your new ships are not even designed in the drawing room yet.

Jaap Major
Low Zuthem