The advice of Johan Remkes was carefully examined by farmers in North Holland this afternoon. Remkes advises, among other things, that the cabinet should ensure that 500 to 600 large livestock farms close to vulnerable nature reserves stop within a year. “There were good and less good points in it, the only question is what the cabinet will do with them. They remain recommendations, they are not binding,” says dairy farmer Ingrid de Sain from Schellinkhout.
In the report, Remkes advises the cabinet to have the 500 to 600 largest nitrogen emitters stop emitting nitrogen within a year. The intention is that this should be done voluntarily as much as possible, for example by changing the business operations, but forced buy-out is not ruled out by Remkes.
“I was shocked by this.” Sacrificing your own farms so that other farmers can continue? “No, of course I don’t want that. I’ve worked for years to build this business and my daughter wants to succeed us. I think that older farmers who have no successors should first be looked at,” Ingrid said resolutely.
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Farmer Ingrid does not think that buying out farmers is the solution. She believes that discussions should be resumed and that, in addition to the agricultural sector, other emitters, such as Schiphol, Tata Steel and other industries, should also sit down at the table. “Of course I want to help and be part of the solution. I just want to do this in close consultation, together with other emitters who also have to reduce. The cabinet is now looking too much only at the farmers,” says Ingrid.
Livestock farmer and campaigner Jack Rijlaarsdam from Stompetoren finds Remkes today sympathetic happen, but his plans are mainly idealistic. “The plans cannot be realized within the time limits that he sets himself. Remkes insists on buying companies. That was not possible in the past three years, so it seems to me that it is now suddenly possible,” explains Jack to NH Nieuws. .
Involve the agricultural sector more
Remkes also told this afternoon that the plans put forward by the agricultural sector are quite feasible and cannot simply be brushed aside. Dairy farmer Remco Rotteveel from Ursem thinks this is a positive point and above all hopes that the farmers will be more involved in the new advice. “Confidence has of course not been restored with one advice. The cabinet now has to prove what they are going to do with the advice. Are they actually going to include the agricultural sector in their plans?”
According to Rotteveel, it is very important that urban and rural areas become more intertwined. According to him, what happens in the city is now especially important to the cabinet and the countryside is left out in the cold. “What happens in the countryside is secondary and we notice that here too. There is no longer a local pub or supermarket. Everything is moving to the city.”
on the pile
Rijlaarsdam is not yet confident about whether Remkes’s new report will actually bring about anything. “Remkes has come to patronize things a bit. This report comes on top of the pile with the other reports. The measures that suit the government, they will take them out and we will never hear about the rest again.”
Ingrid wants clarity, a dot on the horizon. “We now have to wait and see what the cabinet will do with this advice,” says Ingrid. According to her, the situation is still uncertain. “I just want to do business and know where I stand.”
