Just over thirty Limburg farmers have signed up for the buy-out scheme so far. That is what deputy Geert Gabriels says in Evening Guests Europe.
The Province of Limburg is implementing the scheme whereby farms can be bought out in order to limit nitrogen emissions. This is done according to a so-called ‘peak tax scheme’. The province scores high in nitrogen precipitation, partly due to intensive livestock farming in North Limburg and Southeast Brabant. “Up to now, more than thirty companies have come forward”, confirms Gabriels in the L1 program Evening Guests Europe† “That is the highest number in the whole of the Netherlands. In total there are 70 candidates.”
Delay
The deputy from Weert says he is troubled by a new regulation that was announced by Minister of Nature and Nitrogen Christianne van der Wal. She announced a ‘wildly attractive’ scheme for farmers who quit sooner. “As a result, many farmers wait a while to participate in the provincial buy-out scheme,” says Gabriels. This scheme of the provinces started in November 2020, whereby farmers can be bought out who are close to vulnerable nature areas. Many farmers hope for higher compensation.
Consultation
The province is currently consulting with the central government to prevent the candidates in the current scheme from ultimately being worse off than participants in the new ‘wildly attractive’ scheme. “That is certainly our commitment. They are both government schemes, so we are hopeful that it will work.”
Complications
The government wants nitrogen emissions to be halved by 2030. Limburg has three major challenges in that file. With Chemelot, Rockwool and intensive livestock farming, the province is home to many large nitrogen producers. In addition, Limburg has many small nature reserves that fall under European protection rules. What further complicates the policy is the fact that half of the nitrogen precipitation comes from Belgium and the German Ruhr area. This limits the effectiveness of the national and provincial measures. “But we are still more of an exporter than an importer of nitrogen,” says Gabriels.