Discussion leader Remkes has set aside three hours in his agenda on Friday morning for consultations with agricultural interest groups. Of the representatives of conventional, non-sustainable agriculture, only LTO Nederland has confirmed its participation so far.
The large sector associations (NMV for dairy farming, POV for pig farming, NAV for arable farming and NVP for poultry farmers) are still in doubt. The association for young farmers, the NAJK, does not yet know whether it will accept Remkes’ invitation.
Board members of the four sector unions, LTO chairman Sjaak van der Tak and the leaders of action groups Agractie and FDF will meet in a Nijkerk hotel on Wednesday evening to exchange views. Some fissures have arisen in the united farmers’ front because LTO decided on its own last week to sit down with the cabinet, while most farmers do not feel like it.
‘Betrayal’ of the LTO
They only want to talk if the cabinet confirms in advance that the current nitrogen targets are not sacred. Van der Tak was persuaded by Prime Minister Rutte to accept Remkes’ invitation without preconditions. Agractie and FDF blame LTO for this ‘treason’.
Agriculture leader Bart Kemp spoke to Remkes by phone on Monday to explain his skepticism. After that meeting, Agractie sent the Prime Minister a letter ‘in which we explain the points on which we expect steps from the cabinet’. Rutte and Remkes have promised to respond within a few days, Agractie writes in a press release. ‘On the basis of this response, we will consider whether a substantive discussion is useful for farmers in the Netherlands.’ Rutte’s spokesperson could not say on Tuesday when the cabinet will have its answer ready.
A number of sustainable farmers’ organizations have also been invited to the Remkes meeting, which starts at 10:30 on Friday morning. They have all accepted the invitation. These are in any case Caring Farmers, Biohuis and the Federation of Agro-ecological farmers. On behalf of the cabinet, Prime Minister Rutte, Minister Van der Wal (Nature and Nitrogen) and Minister Staghouwer (Agriculture) will sit at the table opposite the farmers on Friday. Remkes does not want to reveal where the consultation takes place in connection with safety. An early announcement of the meeting location could trigger tractor blockades and other aggressive farmer actions.
Individual farmers
On Friday afternoon, Rutte, Van der Wal and Staghouwer will talk to about ten individual farmers. These are farmers who do not represent an organisation, but who have been invited in a personal capacity. According to Remkes’ spokesperson, these farmers were selected because they appeared in the media last year with ‘interesting ideas and stories’. Remkes keeps their names secret to avoid being threatened by radical colleagues.
In addition to the two talks with farmers on Friday, Remkes has planned four more talk sessions in August. He wants to organize two rounds of talks with ‘chain parties’ and individual companies from the agro and food industry respectively. Consultations are also planned for the nature and environmental organizations, as well as with the decentralized authorities (provinces and the Association of Dutch Municipalities). No date has yet been set for all these talks, but Remkes wants to be able to present a final report at the end of August.
A number of parties from the agro and food industry have rejected the outstretched hand of the cabinet. Zuivelcoöperatie FrieslandCampina, agricultural cooperative Agrifirm and the trade association of animal feed manufacturers Nevedi were invited to the table by Remkes, but did not accept the invitation. They believe that the cabinet should first come to an agreement with the farmers before they, as chain parties, have their say. The COV, the trade association of the meat industry, only wants to join if the farmers who meet in Nijkerk do the same. Rabobank and the trade association of supermarkets CBL do want to consult with the cabinet.
This also applies to the invited nature and environmental organisations. Natuurmonumenten, Staatsbosbeheer, Greenpeace, the Natuur en Milieu foundation, LandschappenNL and Johan Vollenbroek of the Mobilization for the Environment action group have already said yes to Remkes’ overture.