Farmers are very concerned about the cabinet’s plans to give a ‘stop bonus’ to livestock farms that are close to nitrogen-sensitive nature. The leaked plans state that farmers who voluntarily quit will receive compensation of 120 percent of the market value of their farm. “That sounds nice, but that doesn’t mean anything,” says Mario Berkers of farmers’ organization ZLTO De Peel.
The cabinet wants a stop bonus for farmers who emit a lot of nitrogen in the vicinity of nature reserves. From April next year, thousands of farmers will receive an offer, reports the NOS. The cabinet will only announce the final plans on Friday, but the farmers’ suspicion has already been aroused, says Berkers.
‘Deliciously attractive scheme’
The big question is who or what determines the market value of the company. For farmers who, for example, are reluctant to invest in a new housing system, this may not be a solution at all, says Berkers.
“Old stables are not worth much anymore and then 120 percent is suddenly not that much. The question is whether this fiercely attractive buy-out scheme, as Minister Van der Wal calls it, covers the mortgage debt.”
It is also not yet clear whether a bought-out farmer is allowed to keep his land and whether a professional ban is linked to the scheme. “Then a cattle farmer, for example, cannot continue as an arable farmer,” says Berkers. “Moreover, in two years’ time the tax authorities will also be knocking on your doorstep because of your business termination.” Berkers hopes that there will be more clarity about this on Friday.
Farmers around De Peel
According to the cabinet plans, nitrogen emissions in De Peel must be reduced by 70 to 80 percent. This means that almost all livestock farms in the area are very concerned about their survival.
The stop bonus should convince farmers to throw in the towel. If they do not opt for this scheme, their future remains uncertain. Farmers do not have to participate in the scheme, but then they will have to deal with considerably stricter environmental requirements and it will be much more difficult to continue.
Province is also waiting
The province is also waiting to see what exactly will be on the table on Friday. However, nitrogen deputy Erik Ronnes says that he hopes that things will now really be done. “It is important that the cabinet becomes more concrete. It will only have real effect once there is a working arrangement with which concrete steps can be taken. At the moment it is only paper.”
In addition, the province considers it important that the schemes help to solve the problems surrounding PAS reporters. These are farmers who do not have a full nitrogen permit through no fault of their own.
Under the Nitrogen Approach Program (PAS) they did not have to apply for a permit for expansion. That situation changed when the Council of State in 2019 put a big line on this way of acting by the government. The farmers now do not have a permit and their business is illegal. Only when nitrogen space is found can they be legalized.
The hope is that so many farms will stop voluntarily that enough nitrogen space will be released to help the PAS reporters. Then they could get a permit.