A broad cessation scheme for farmers near nature reserves and the most polluting companies will be given the choice of making substantial improvements to sustainability, relocating or stopping voluntarily. With this, the government hopes to be able to achieve the nitrogen targets for 2030. This is evident from the plan that the cabinet released on Friday afternoon. A long-awaited plan for the future of the farming community, but also for industry, water quality and soil.
Agriculture
Farmers located close to a nature reserve are eligible for a stop bonus. They get 120% of the market value of their company. The arrangement is voluntary, but a choice is not without consequences. There will also be stricter environmental requirements for farmers who do not want to stop. This makes it even more complicated for those who stay to farm in vulnerable areas. “Otherwise, it will be with pain in the heart that coercion and forced buy-out of peak loaders will have to be made,” says nitrogen minister Christianne van der Wal.
Agricultural agreement
The pieces are far from detailed. Piet Adema, Minister of Agriculture, has deliberately done this because he wants to keep room for consultation with all those involved. The actual interpretation of that farmer’s future must be determined not only with farmers, but also with supermarkets and banks, for example. After all, they play a major role in enabling a different type of agriculture. Such an agricultural agreement should be reached early next year.
Industry
So not only farmers have to make sacrifices, but also companies that emit a lot of nitrogen are being tackled. Industrial companies in the vicinity of Natura 2000 areas must reduce nitrogen emissions largely or completely in the short term.
Agreements are being made with the fifty largest peak loaders in the industry about making their companies more sustainable more quickly. Permits are also tightened.
Soil and water quality
One of the cabinet’s plans is to raise the groundwater level in peat areas. This may therefore also apply to De Peel in Brabant and Limburg. An increase in the water level has a positive effect on nature in the area, but it makes agriculture more difficult. Due to higher water and wetter soil, the cultivation of certain crops is no longer possible and farmers will have difficulty working their land with heavy machinery.
In addition, companies and private individuals must use no less than 20 percent less drinking water, according to the plans. In this way we should be able to deal better with drought as a result of climate change. The Netherlands must also become more resistant to flooding.
Build
The government wants to get building permits back on track. Now granting those permits is even more difficult due to the scrapping of the building exemption by the court. Building permits can only be granted if nitrogen space is found elsewhere. The plans include that the government has the first right to released nitrogen rights, for example if a farm closes. Project developers or other commercial parties can therefore no longer buy up that nitrogen space ‘quickly’.
PAS Notifiers
The regulations should also help solve the problems surrounding PAS detectors. These are farmers who do not have a full nitrogen permit through no fault of their own. The hope is that so many farms will stop voluntarily that enough nitrogen space will be released to help the PAS reporters. Then they could get a permit. The cabinet is giving 250 million euros to the provinces to be able to apply tailor-made solutions for PAS reporters.
The plans were discussed in the Council of Ministers on Friday morning. They were then announced by all ministers involved: Minister Van der Wal (Nature and Nitrogen), Minister Adema (Agriculture), Minister De Jonge (Housing), Minister Jetten (Climate and Energy) and Minister Harbers (Infrastructure and Water Management).