The farmers from the municipality of Midden-Drenthe look back on a good evening at the town hall in Beilen. Tonight, a group of about sixty farmers came to visit for talks with councilors, aldermen and mayor Cees Bijl. “We feel heard, which is very nice. Now the municipality has to do something about it,” says dairy farmer Niek Hunse.
“Some people have no idea at all,” Hunse says firmly. “Tonight I heard someone wonder whether it is possible if every farmer gives in 10 or 15 percent of the livestock. But then you can no longer make ends meet as a farmer. That is why an evening like this is very beautiful. You can explain the problem based on local examples, based on my own farm. Sometimes the councilors are shocked by our stories, but that’s good.”
Hunse hopes that his story will stick with the administrators and councilors. “So that next time at a meeting, they will not speak on behalf of their party or municipality, but from the practical stories they have heard today.” Two weeks ago, the municipality adopted a motion expressing support for farmers. “So the intentions are good, that proved again tonight. We really feel heard. Now they still have to do something with it in practice. Actually, the municipality is not about it, but every time traveling to The Hague with the tractor has doesn’t make sense either. I think it is much better to ring the bell with this local politics. Then the message must now go to the government from here.”
Arable farmer Jeffrey Prins also looks back on a fruitful evening, when he already cleared up one misconception. He may not be a rancher, but the problem does concern him. “We are one sector and we work closely together”, says Prins. “That’s the nice thing about farmers in Central Drenthe. For example, I use all the manure from Niek’s (Hunze, ed.) dairy cattle.”
“I also think it is very important that we take a look at what has happened in recent years,” continues Prins. “Circular agriculture was presented as the solution and I dare say that we as farmers in Midden-Drenthe have become the very best at it. But what should I do if the dairy farmer in the area where I get my manure stops? Expensive buy fertilizer from far away, which only acidifies the soil? I don’t feel like it. That’s why this is a good meeting, because sometimes I’m afraid they’ll forget what changes we’ve all made and how crooked it would be to to change some things.”
“It was fun”, alderman Rico Schans sums up the evening. “There was a good and friendly atmosphere and a good turnout. We are very happy with that.” According to him, the signal that Schans received from the farmers was unanimous. “They mainly want to be treated as human beings, and they want to think along about the solution. That is the core message that I have received.”
With that message, Schans goes to the province, where he tries to stay seated at the table. “Until now, we can do very little as a municipality. According to the current plans, we would only be given an executive role, but we want to participate to see how we can create a future for the sector. I also received a lot of ideas tonight from the farmers themselves. Because we already have farmers who are very innovative. We also want to propagate that and be an exemplary municipality.”