On Tuesday, the House of Representatives will vote on dozens of motions submitted regarding the cabinet’s nitrogen plans. Nitrogen policy determines the future of many farms, especially around nature reserves. Many farmers in Brabant, among others, seem to have to clear their fields there.
The anger among the farmers is enormous. Last week they held a big manifestation in Stroe. But according to many farmers, previous protests have had no effect. That is why there was also a demonstration on Monday. Then highways were blocked in several places. This was the case, for example, on the A2 and A67. And this Tuesday the first farmers have already taken to the road. Hay bales are on fire on the A12 highway, between The Hague and Utrecht, near Nieuwerbrug, the ANWB reports. There are traffic jams in both directions.
“Politics is also divided on the issue, hence the motions.”
It seems that more protests will take place in the near future. The reason is crystal clear: earlier this month the cabinet presented the long-awaited plans to reduce nitrogen emissions. The plans show that farmers will probably have to clear the field, especially around nature reserves.
Farmers do not understand this and politicians are also divided on the issue – hence the motions. One of the 42 motions that will be voted on on Tuesday comes from MP Pieter Omtzigt. He receives support from the CDA and the VVD, which seems to result in a majority in the House.
If the motion is passed, the Minister of Agriculture, together with the Minister of Nature and Nitrogen, must visit farmers along the German border. The ministers should see that contrast with their own eyes, says Omtzigt. Farmers have also been asking for this for some time: they don’t feel heard by The Hague and are afraid that they will have to leave.
The truth is, that could well happen. In Brabant we have several nature reserves. Farmers around the Peel, the Strabrechtse Heide, the Kampina, the Leenderbos and the Loonse en Drunense Duinen are close to areas in which nitrogen emissions must be reduced enormously.
The province now has to figure out how to meet those nitrogen targets in Brabant. She has until July 1, 2023 to come up with a plan. It is therefore still unclear how the plans of The Hague will be followed. That is up to the province itself. The political game is therefore not over yet, not even at provincial level.
“Brabant is not just at the beginning.”
In December 2019, the CDA gave in to the pressure of protesting farmers on the sidewalk of the provincial house. As a result, the Board of the Provincial Executive fell. Now it has been solemnly promised not to let that happen again. Steps have therefore already been taken. Provincial administrator Erik Ronnes (CDA) recently emphasized that Brabant ‘is not just at the beginning’.
Major innovation projects have already been initiated in recent years. For example, livestock farmers must have applied for a new permit before 1 January 2024 to build an emission-free barn.
The fate of the industrial sector is still unclear. Many farmers do not understand that there are plans for nitrogen reduction in agriculture, but that the industry is only confronted with this much later. The minister hopes to have more clarity about this in January. Until then, that sector also lives in uncertainty.
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