ANP
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 20:32
Nearly 500 livestock farmers have registered for the voluntary buy-out scheme, including 300 peak loaders. That is what Minister Van der Wal of Nature and Nitrogen said in the House of Representatives. That does not immediately mean that all these livestock farmers will actually be bought out, says Van der Wal. “In any case, there is interest, but it does not say anything about the success of the approach.”
The buy-out scheme means that peak loaders, who emit a lot of nitrogen in the vicinity of a vulnerable nature reserve, can be bought out for 120 percent of the value of their company. For other livestock farmers, they can receive up to 100 percent of the value of their farm. Farmers who allow themselves to be bought out really have to stop and cannot continue their business elsewhere in the Netherlands. There are also other schemes, but they are not all open yet.
About 39,000 agricultural entrepreneurs have calculated which schemes they are eligible for, says Van der Wal. “Almost 500 of them have indicated that they want to look further into whether they want to use a termination scheme.”
‘Long trajectory’
From the nearly 500 registrations, it can be concluded that there is serious interest among farmers to stop their business, but they can also change their mind. With the first buy-out scheme in 2022, the number of farmers that ultimately concluded an agreement with the government turned out to be disappointing: only 20 of the 750 farmers who were eligible signed up for the buy-out scheme.
Farmers must agree to the value at which their farm is valued. If they don’t agree with the amount, they can withdraw. “It really is a long process,” says Van der Wal. “It’s not like you can sign from Monday to Tuesday.” In addition, the choice is up to the farmers themselves, the minister emphasizes.
Other companies
Across the Netherlands, 3001 companies have been designated as peak loaders. These are not only farmers, but also other major emitters of nitrogen. Steel manufacturer Tata Steel, Schiphol Airport and chemical company Dow Benelux lead the list of peak loaders.
What about the nitrogen crisis again? We will explain it to you in 4, 7, 12 or 15 minutes via the link below:
In May this year, the European Commission approved the government’s plans to tackle major nitrogen emitters in livestock farming. This also meant that it became possible to buy out ‘peak loaders’, so that emissions can be reduced considerably in the short term.
Brussels called the arrangements “necessary and appropriate” and in line with the goals of the European Green Deal. The fact that Brussels gave the green light was important for Dutch nitrogen policy. If a large part of the peak loads ends, nature can recover and achieving the nitrogen targets will come a lot closer.
The buy-out arrangement will close in April next year.
2023-09-07 18:32:13
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