Farmers Defense Force (FDF) will not yet take action against the cabinet’s nitrogen plans. Foreman Mark van den Oever said on Monday that after deliberations in Nijkerk it was decided to present an alternative plan for tackling the nitrogen problem to nitrogen minister Christianne van der Wal.
“We have sent her this plan and hope to discuss this with the minister shortly,” says Van den Oever. The proposals state, among other things, that anyone who has received a permit for the Nature Conservation Act after 1 July 2015 must be able to keep that permit. This must therefore be an “irrevocable permit”.
Farmers who have a business in or near a protected nature reserve need a permit from the nature conservation law for some activities or projects. Entrepreneurs must apply for this permit from the province.
Earlier, FDF stated that there might be new actions. The advice of nitrogen broker Johan Remkes to apply forced buy-out to companies that emit a lot of nitrogen near certain nature reserves met with a lot of criticism at FDF.
Remkes had said that 500 to 600 companies that emit a lot of nitrogen had to be bought out in order to achieve the nitrogen targets. Voluntary if possible, compulsory if necessary.