“It would be absurd if the nitrogen policy chases the cow out of the pasture,” says Sjaak van der Tak, chairman of LTO Nederland. “With this action, we are calling on the government to do its job properly, so that there is never a licensing requirement.” Although LNV is not in favor of a permit for grazing, the Zwolle court recently stated that provinces cannot simply assume that no permit is required.
According to both farmers’ organizations, however, a permit requirement is undesirable and unworkable. Jaap Lodders of Team Agro NL: “More than 84% of dairy farmers practice grazing. That is different every year: depending on the weather, how well the grass is growing, changing crops and swapping land with others. We cannot apply for a permit every year, apart from the fact that the permit granting is still stuck?”
With grazing, there is actually less nitrogen emission because, unlike in the stable, poo and pee do not fall in the same place. Less ammonia is then formed, which could be harmful to sensitive flora. Earlier, the Dierenbescherming and the Dier & Recht foundation also spoke out against the impending licensing obligation because the welfare and health of cows benefits from walking outside.
LTO and Team Agro NL call on livestock farmers to share photos of themselves and the cows from the barn on social media during the day of action, under the hashtag #30MeiKoeUitDeWei.