After a series of setbacks, there is finally a glimmer of hope for our farmers: Brussels seems to be opening the door to the use of an animal fertilizer substitute in the Netherlands.
After more than ten years of discussion, the European Commission is about to allow so-called Renure fertilizers. The ingredients for this fertilizer substitute can be captured at manure digesters (green energy) and water purification plants. The Netherlands is one of the biggest advocates of this innovative invention.
Classic fertilizer
But due to strict environmental regulations, the alternative to artificial fertilizer had no chance for years: Brussels threw the ‘green panacea’ on a heap with ‘animal manure’. The European Commission’s research bureau also concludes that this is wrong: the environmental effects are comparable to those of traditional fertilisers.
The fact that Brussels will soon give in is mainly due to the war in Ukraine: EU sanctions have stopped the supply of fertilizer from Russia and high gas prices have made fertilizer production unaffordable within the country bloc. The blow to the European food system is huge and the consequences are noticeable in the price of a full shopping cart.
To the great disappointment of Minister Piet Adema (Agriculture), CDA MEP Annie Schreijer-Pierik and her VVD colleague Jan Huitema, Brussels threatened to exclude our country from the use of this animal fertilizer substitute. The Commission was afraid of a negative incentive in the discussion about the size of the livestock.
Leaked documents
But leaked documents, in the hands of De Telegraaf, show that the European Commission is considering allowing the use of fertilizer substitutes in nitrate-sensitive areas under ‘strict conditions’. In the eyes of Brussels, just about the whole of the Netherlands is ‘nitrate-sensitive’.
There is finally a glimmer of hope for Dutch farmers. “It is not a magic wand,” says CDA delegation leader Esther de Lange, who has brought the issue to the attention of the highest echelons of the European Commission. “But after a lot of restrictions, this means a little breathing room for farmers again.”
Extra important
It will not be clear until the beginning of 2023. The dossier has now become even more important for Dutch farmers. Brussels recently decided to phase out a years-long exception for the spreading of animal manure. This would make the sector even more dependent on expensive fertilizer. Moreover, due to the disappearance of the derogation, livestock farms will soon have to dispose of manure worth tens of thousands of euros. Some of this manure may soon be given a second life in our own country as green energy and as a substitute for fertilizer.
De Lange: “That is also good news for Europe. Now we are dependent on raw materials from outside the EU for the production of fertilizer.”