I view with dismay the political decision to tackle the manure issue that has been dragging on for years with a ‘budget cut’. Not because I am against supporting farmers who voluntarily retire, but because it is the wrong solution.
After the action in Brussels on April 16, I attended the meeting with officials of Environment Commissioner Sinkevičius and farmers’ organizations. It became painfully clear that the shrinkage and extensification agenda of the former and current (outgoing) cabinet is the basis for the phasing out of the derogation.
This reduction, with extremely low standards for the use of animal manure, is being abused to achieve this. To this day, the wrong buttons are being pushed, which was also evident from last week’s disappointing manure debate. There was no short-term solution and the long-term ‘solutions’ build on the shrinkage scenario that has already started.
Boeren zijn de dupe van een politiek krachtenveld
As a young farmer I can’t do anything with this at all. Farmers are the victims of a political force field, in which our own politics in The Hague, with the help of several farmers’ organizations, plays a significant role. The Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), Article 39, states that farmers must maintain sufficient income. Unfortunately, the reality is different: our politicians lack the knowledge, will and courage to realize this.
Should we then long for the way things were? No! We need to stop muddling through with the existing dismantling policy. The discussion about manure policy should focus on soil fertility, crop yields, cycles and water quality. This will require a workable total package.
Whether this fits within the scope of the Nitrate Directive or whether a derogation is required is less important. The fact is that the self-evident principle of feeding the soil and crops according to needs is no longer there. Should the new minister bang his fist on the table? Maybe, but with a realistic package of solutions under the arm.
We moeten juist af van het doormodderen met het bestaande afbraakbeleid
In a workable total package, care for soil and crops is central and farmers have room for control. Let’s keep it simple and logical: everyone understands that reducing animal manure and using more artificial fertilizer or ‘Renure’ is a detour that does not benefit either the water quality or the wallet.
With regard to water quality, the Netherlands will have to inform Brussels, well substantiated, about the designation of (non) vulnerable zones. According to Article 3(4) of the Nitrates Directive, this must be done again at least every four years. A new action and derogation plan can then be drawn up for permanently vulnerable zones and for non-vulnerable zones, among other things, a total standard per hectare of crop for nitrogen (N) and phosphate (PO4) could be drawn up.3−) may apply, within which the share of artificial fertilizer versus animal manure is flexible. The CAP can encourage as much grassland area and catch crops as possible to prevent leaching.
In addition, it is very important that the Netherlands examines its own interpretation of the Nitrate Directive. How do we monitor and what is the status of standards? For example, the standards for N and PO4 are currently in place3− in surface water much lower than in Germany and Belgium.
Daarnaast is het van groot belang dat Nederland de eigen invulling van de Nitraatrichtlijn onder de loep neemt
How much time do we have? No time. That is why space will have to be created in the short term by suspending the derogation decision, so that we fall back on the 2022 standards for 2024 and 2025. A communication to Brussels is sufficient. The Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality will have to make a tolerance decision and adapt the manure legislation accordingly. This temporary solution will provide space to get started, so that we have workable regulations as of January 1, 2026.
The 30-year-old Nitrate Directive is currently being evaluated and possibly revised. The Netherlands will have to come up with good recommendations on how the directive better fits the specific circumstances in the Netherlands. There are sufficient scientific arguments for this.
What we should certainly not do now is throw in the towel and accept that the policies in The Hague and Brussels are causing our bottom lines to deteriorate, that we remain saddled with a range of ineffective measures and that we therefore remain ‘in the shit’. After all the unrest and uncertainty, it is high time for a stable policy for at least 10 years. There is work to be done for a new cabinet to get to work and put ‘Brussels’ on the right track.
Alien van Zijtveld, vice-chairman of Agractie Nederland and dairy farmer in Rouveen (OV)
Tags: Opinion Netherlands pushing wrong buttons VeeenGewas .nl
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