The negotiations on the agricultural agreement were broken off late on Tuesday evening and there are strong accusations from both camps. The ‘young farmers’ of the Nederlands Agrarisch Jongeren Kontakt (NAJK) chaired by dairy farmer Roy Meijer from Witteveen have not left the consultation and regret the resignation of the LTO.
“We participated in this agreement because it is about our future, the future of young farmers and market gardeners. That future therefore remains uncertain”, Roy Meijer said in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.
On Wednesday morning it seemed that the NAJK had also stepped out of the consultation, but Meijer said before a new meeting in the morning that this was not the case. “We have indicated that an agricultural agreement without the largest agricultural and horticultural organization is not credible.”
The coalition parties strongly criticized the resignation of the farmers’ organisations. The Frisian minister Piet Adema (Christian Union) is also under fire. His Groningen predecessor Henk Staghouwer had to resign last year because he could not live up to the consultations with farmers’ organizations and the talks about nitrogen.
Now questions are also arising about Adema, according to various media. At the same time, the pressure on the CDA is increasing because that party wants to reopen negotiations within the coalition about nitrogen, but first wanted to wait for the talks about the Agricultural Agreement.
bitter political reactions
The VVD is ‘disappointed that LTO is leaving the table’, says MP Thom van Campen in a response. “Especially now that we want to invest in a sustainable future for our agriculture, a pact between government and sector was and is crucial. Disappointing.”
CDA Member of Parliament Derk Boswijk calls it ‘very disappointing’ that LTO is not involved in further discussions about the agricultural agreement. “As CDA, we believe in the power of civil society.” Earlier, the party suggested breaking open the coalition agreement and the year 2030 was declared ‘not sacred’ for nitrogen targets. He leaves it open which position his party chooses now. “We await the government’s response to see what steps are now needed for future-proof agriculture and the restoration of nature.”
D66 minister Rob Jetten (Climate) also finds it ‘disappointing’ that LTO has stopped discussing an agricultural agreement, he said on Wednesday night. The climate target for the farming sector – 5 megatons less CO2 – remains in place, the minister emphasizes. Without an agreement, the cabinet may have to intervene unilaterally, Jetten expects.
Van der Plas ‘not surprised’
PVV leader Geert Wilders just supports LTO. “Very good that the farmers’ organizations do not let themselves be peeped by the scammers of this cabinet,” he says.
BBB party chairman Caroline van der Plas is ‘not surprised’ about the split. “Agricultural agreement clapped. With only imposing goals and obligations without guarantees on earnings model (income), no guarantees on long-term business security, and having to hand in livestock without knowing how the farmer can proceed, I think this is logical.”