‘We all have to do it together and we all have to keep talking’. ‘And it’s good that the nitrogen card is off the table’. With regard to the debate in the provincial government, these are the opinions on which all political groups agree. Is the discussion over with that? No.
Drenthe prefers to work in her own way. “We are extremely positive about the course in Drenthe. We support this line,” says Frank Duut on behalf of JA21.
What is that approach then? “That is that we leave the provincial government and talk to each other,” says deputy Henk Jumelet. And with each other is really all together, he says. The province has already indicated that it is not only farmers who should be the victims of the nitrogen policy. All sectors must be included in a plan at the same time.
“Nature must be put back in order”, Jumelet emphasizes regularly. That is the Drenthe goal. “Restoring nature seems to dominate. But it is about quality of life for farmers. A countryside without farmers is not a countryside,” Nico Uppelschoten responds on behalf of the PVV. Together with Forum for Democracy, this party comes with some additional requirements for the province.
The two parties call on the province to investigate whether the number of Natura 2000 areas in Drenthe can be limited. Because – according to the political groups – the fourteen Natura 2000 areas make it ‘impossible’ for agricultural activity to take place in Drenthe.
JA21 supports the Drenthe plan, but the party does draw a line somewhere. That is in the case of forced expropriation of farmers. Duut: “Forcing citizens to impose coercion is always a bridge too far for us. We ask that farmers be exempted from forced expropriation.”
“Give the farmers that little bit of security,” he continues. “They already have so much uncertainty in these times.” JA21’s proposal does not make it. Only STIP, PVV and Forum for Democracy express their support for it.
The discussion is not over yet.
Next year, the province must come up with a plan to achieve the nitrogen targets. Those are not the goals of the well-known card, but the goals stated in the law. That is that for 74 percent of a nature reserve the nitrogen standard is in order for 2035. “You can now start worrying about percentages, or you can just get started. I say: let’s just get started,” concludes. Deputy Henk Jumelet.