The various farmers’ organisations, including Agractie and Farmers Defense Force (FDF), say they have no confidence in the “government-directed consultation” with nitrogen broker Johan Remkes. Nevertheless, LTO Nederland will talk to Remkes on their behalf on Friday, as a representative of the joint farmers’ clubs. “The results of the consultation are fed back, discussed and further steps are coordinated”, the organizations say.
The position is the result of a preliminary consultation that the farmers’ action clubs had on Wednesday evening in a hotel in Nijkerk. It was “good consultation”, they say: “We are on the same page on the content. That means we work together.”
At the table were Agractie, Dutch Dairymen Board, Farmers Defense Force, LTO Nederland, Dutch Arable Farming Union, Dutch Dairy Farming Union, Dutch Poultry Farmers Union and Producers Organization Pig Farming.
According to a spokesperson for LTO Nederland, the same requirement that was formulated earlier will be on the table in the consultation with Remkes: that the cabinet must adjust its nitrogen plans. In addition to Remkes, Prime Minister Mark Rutte, nitrogen minister Christianne van der Wal and agriculture minister Henk Staghouwer will also participate. It is not yet known where the meeting will take place.
The farmers’ action groups sat down with each other on Wednesday evening to come to a consensus. The farmers’ consultation followed after a brief disagreement last week when LTO Nederland promised to attend the exploratory meeting with the cabinet about nitrogen policy. FDF was outraged about that. The air between the FDF chairman and LTO chairman Sjaak van der Tak had already been cleared prior to the consultation. During the farmers’ consultation, it had to be about whether more farmers’ action groups would join the discussion with Remkes and the cabinet.