Equipment that allows farmers and manure transporters to cheat with the amount of manure that is removed has been left untouched by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Safety (LNV) for five years. It also happens in Drenthe, but there are hardly any fraud cases.
In a country where much more manure is produced than can be spread on the land, it is an attractive and lucrative idea to use the equipment for farmers. According to LTO Noord chairman Dirk Bruins, the situation in Drenthe is different from various other places in the country. “In general, the manure in Drenthe is easy to place. Many dairy farmers can dispose of it on their own land.”
“In addition, Drenthe has a lot of arable farming, which is an advantage,” he continues. “Because arable farmers also need manure on their fields. That is why you see many partnerships between livestock farmers and farmers here.”
But what exactly is this? There are European rules that indicate how much manure a farmer can spread on his fields. If his farm produces more manure, he can supply this to manure processing companies or to arable farmers who can use the manure. Supplying manure processing companies in particular costs farmers a lot of money.
Cheating with the amount of fertilizer you actually supply is therefore financially attractive. By manipulating the measuring equipment on transport vehicles, farmers and transporters can, for example, pretend that they are removing more manure than is actually the case. The farmers still spread the extra manure (which on paper has been removed) over their land.
The Public Prosecution Service wrote in a letter to the Ministry of Agriculture that the equipment is ‘easy to manipulate without the need for technical facilities’. Transporters adjust the air pressure in the suspension of their trucks, making it appear as if manure is being loaded or unloaded, while in reality this is not the case.
There are suspicions of manure fraud in Drenthe, but only among manure processors. In 2021, the Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) raided a so-called manure intermediary in the south of the province. Livestock farmers can go here with their manure surpluses and others can purchase manure there. Last year there was also a raid on two homes and four manure processing companies in Drenthe, Groningen and Overijssel. In all cases, administration was seized.
“Manure fraud happens throughout the Netherlands, including in Drenthe. The incentive to commit fraud with manure is simply great,” says Bart Fortuin, spokesperson for the NVWA. “But we only know what we see. A fraudster is trying to hide illegal activities from the light of day.”
According to LTO leader Bruins, it is certainly possible that things can sometimes go wrong here. “Fraud occurs everywhere and at all times. That is a stain on our sector and I am disappointed about it. But it is not clear how serious this problem is. I do not have the feeling that it is doom and gloom.”
It is also unclear how big the problem actually is, for Transport and Logistics Netherlands, which includes manure transporters. The representative of the transport sector already raised the problem in 2020. But they also don’t know how big the problem is. “We are in consultation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and the Public Prosecution Service to gain an even better understanding of the problem. How big is it? Where does it occur most? But above all, to consider what we can do about it. .”
That solution lies with the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, or perhaps with the farmers. Because that sector pays a lot of attention to it and also comes up with solutions itself. Bruins: “We are working on systems, have thought about them and have had discussions with the ministry about them. But then it turns out to be complicated for the government to connect to our systems. We have asked for this several times.” LNV could not be reached for a response.