Forced buying out of farmers remains a possibility in Brabant. The new coalition confirmed this during the presentation of the administrative agreement. Ten other provinces, where BBB is on the board in almost all cases, previously distanced themselves from forced buy-outs.
Martijn van Gruijthuijsen, deputy for the VVD: “Forced buy-out is already one of our instruments. We will use it if it is really necessary. Only in extreme cases. But it’s just a legal remedy.”
Nitrogen command
It will be a tough job for the province to achieve the necessary nitrogen reduction. Innovations in livestock farming do not work as well as they promise. Therefore, the dairy and calf barns do not have to be adjusted until 1 January 2026. For other animals, the deadline remains in 2024, although emission-limiting systems for those stables also work less well than promised.
The province emphasizes that there are also other options for reducing nitrogen emissions. In this way, farmers can also keep fewer animals, buy more land, switch to organic farming or possibly relocate their business.
Negotiations
The new provincial government consisting of VVD, GroenLinks, PvdA, SP, D66 and Local Brabant was presented today after months of negotiations. Previously, negotiations with BBB collapsed at the last minute. According to that party, it was about the deadline for the barn adjustments. Forced buyout was not mentioned as a reason at the time.
Besides Brabant, Noord-Holland is the only province that keeps the door ajar for the forced buy-out of farmers.
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