“It can’t be true.” That is what dairy farmer Gerard Meerkerk from Emmer-Compascuum thought when he was confronted with the nitrogen map of minister Christianne van der Wal last year.
“It would have heralded the end of my company,” said Meerkerk. The soup no longer seems to be eaten as hot as served. But Meerkerk and his family are already preparing for the blow that will follow the inevitable nitrogen measures. With the construction of a care farm and the construction of 14 camper pitches, the Compascumer farmer expects to secure his company for the future.
Things are going well and the sheep, or rather the cows, are firmly on dry land. Gerard, his wife Joyce and their children Wesly, Nathan, Mariëlle and Ruben saw a bright future. In 2010 they settled in Emmer-Compascuum and realized a farm on the Bredesloot with a view to a responsible future.
Gerard explains: “We immediately went for sustainable and energy-efficient business operations. We installed solar panels, everything is not powered by gas but electrically and our home is heated with residual heat that is released during milk production.” Animal welfare was also a must. Room for the 220 cows on the farm. The food contains a minimum of proteins to minimize the ‘burps’ of the animals. The manure storage is located under a low-emission floor that limits CO2 emissions. “Moreover, we are far from nature reserves and habitation here. No one is bothered by us here.” Moreover, both Wesly and Mariëlle are interested in taking over the company in due course.
And then suddenly there was that infamous nitrogen map from the government that turned things upside down. The map indicated where the amount of nitrogen in the soil had to be reduced. Farmers reacted furiously, but Meerkerk was mainly stunned. “It hit like a bomb. For me it meant reducing our herd by almost 50 percent. That meant the end of the business.”
The nitrogen map is already off the table. But the fact that restrictive measures will be taken is beyond doubt. “That is why we have started thinking about our future. How do we keep our earnings up to par if we may have to limit or scale down in the future.” The idea for the care farm and the camper pitches was born then.
The request is now out. The idea is that an extra wing will be built at the rear of the farm, containing the care farm. The target group are the elderly with memory problems. The camper pitches will also be close by, which will probably be built this summer.