With a different cow quota, the cabinet is trying to convince farmers’ interest organization LTO to sign the agricultural agreement. But many farmers are in danger of having to cut back on their livestock or have to buy much more land, the Dutch Dairy Farmers Union (NMV) fears. “LTO plays with fire,” said foreman Henk Bleker earlier to De Telegraaf.
On Tuesday evening, a cabinet delegation and the LTO board will meet again at the Ministry of Agriculture to discuss the agricultural agreement that has been negotiated for months. Last week, LTO foreman Sjaak van der Tak said that ‘crucial steps’ had been taken by the cabinet, but that homework also had to be done. After that it would be ‘hom or calf’, according to Van der Tak. LTO would also have been asked to come up with a ‘thinking’ that is ‘tolerable’ for them, reports an insider.
Farmers in trouble
Sources report that the controversial LU standard (the number of cows per hectare) has now been scrapped for the time being. As an alternative to ‘land-bound’, a grassland standard is used, in which the minimum area of grassland per animal is laid down. This is being tightened step by step and would initially amount to 0.25 hectares of grass per animal, but would become increasingly stricter (eventually to 0.35 hectares of grass per animal).
That ultimately comes down to less than three cows per hectare. This puts farmers in particular in the south (including De Peel) and the Achterhoek in a pinch: they will have to significantly reduce their livestock or purchase much more land. The plan also has consequences for the import of animal feed, reports an insider. If farmers are obliged to grow the feed for their cows themselves on their own land, there will be less room for cattle anyway.
‘No material change’
According to dairy farmer Bleker, the new cow standard is ‘no essential change’, De Telegraaf reports. “It doesn’t get any different and it doesn’t get any better. There is still talk of shifting in years and some shifting between areas, but many dairy farmers simply get into trouble,” says Bleker. “LTO really plays with fire.”
Bleker, who previously announced that if LTO and the cabinet were to set a GVE standard, he would ask all dairy farmers in the Netherlands for an opinion, repeats that message on Tuesday afternoon. “With the grassland standard, we will also broadly gauge how farmers feel about this. I think I already know the answer,” says the former CDA minister, who says he is disturbed by the cabinet’s ‘forcing and threatening’.
deadline
On Tuesday, Minister Adema (Agriculture) spoke with coalition MPs from VVD, D66, CDA and CU about the progress of the agricultural agreement. He reiterated that he wants to get out “this week.” LTO previously set the deadline for June 21. After that, the ‘negotiators’ agreement’ – if it is concluded at all – still has to be sent to the supporters of LTO and to the House of Representatives, which means that it remains uncertain whether the agreement will receive sufficient support.
The package of measures involves an amount of about 12 to 16 billion euros, De Telegraaf previously reported. Money goes to innovation, but also to buy-out schemes and ‘eco-services’ such as landscape management.
‘Sweet and sour’
Insiders in The Hague, however, fear that the package ‘full of sweet and sour’ will ultimately not convince the LTO board. “And a good part of the members certainly not at all,” says an insider. Although there is plenty of talk in The Hague about alleged divisions in the LTO rank and file and ‘threatened splits’, the farmers’ club itself says that this is ‘utter nonsense’. “The board of LTO has decided to nip that ridiculous gossip stream in the bud at the front: the various LTO organizations (LLTB, ZLTO, LTO Noord and the umbrella organization LTO Nederland) are completely united.”
‘Head table’
Should LTO see merit in the package on Tuesday evening, further discussions will be held at the ‘main table’ on Wednesday. This also includes young farmers, organic farmers, nature clubs, supermarkets, banks and the processing industry.