About thirty farmers presented a letter to Noordenveld politicians this evening. In this, the municipality is asked to support the farmers and to sweep the nitrogen plans that are currently before them off the table.
The municipality of Noordenveld has no say in the latter, but according to Erik Emmens (department head of LTO in North Drenthe) it can send out a signal. “We can look together with the municipality at what challenges there are now,” says Emmens. “Then you can create an area-oriented approach for the problems that are now before you. You have to tackle the problems together – with farmers, politicians and the municipality.”
To draw attention to the wishes of the farmers, the parking lot in front of the town hall was blocked with tractors. Council members and visitors to the town hall could only reach the entrance on foot and by bicycle.
The action of the farmers did not come completely unexpectedly. The city council was informed in advance and almost the entire council was waiting for the farmers with coffee. Emmens (himself a farmer in Zeijen) had nothing to complain about the reception. “That was perfect,” he says. He is also pleased with the response from the municipality, “The mayor has indicated that he supports us and does not agree with the current policy.”
Emmens wants to use the action to create peace in a heated debate. He does not find it contradictory to block the town hall with tractors. “Sometimes you have to make a little noise to get back into calm waters.”
“We thought it useful to do this on an evening of a council meeting. Then you immediately have the attention of politicians,” Emmens continues.
Kirsten Ipema, who as alderman has, among other things, agriculture in her portfolio, calls the conversation with the farmers in front of town hall tonight ‘good’. “Here are farmers who really want to change and who want to work in a sustainable way,” says Ipema. “But they want to do that together and not have this imposed from above.”
Ipema thinks that the Noordenveld municipality should especially look at where it can mediate between farmers and the government. “We can see if we can bring parties together.”
The power of the municipality is limited in this regard. “As a municipality, we can hardly say that the plans that are imposed on us are not feasible and must be adjusted. But we can insist that the approach to the nitrogen problem is done from the bottom up.”
LTO department head Emmens mainly wants to stay in touch. “Polderen is part of our country. Or as we say in Drenthe: naoberschap. Do it together and sit around the table. You saw a lot of youth in our action tonight. They want a future in the Netherlands and we have to secure that together.”
At 8 o’clock the tractors left Roden again. Later today, a motion was submitted and passed to create a vision for the nitrogen problem. This concerns all sectors and not just the farming sector. The motion was submitted by 5 parties (including all coalition parties) and was only not endorsed by the D66 fraction.