‘A meaningful exercise’. That is what mediator Johan Remkes says about the conversation he had today with nature organizations about nitrogen policy. According to him, the consultation in the provincial government in Den Bosch was intended ‘to get a clearer picture of where all the parties in this debate stand exactly’.
A week ago, Remkes spoke with agricultural organizations. The conclusion he subsequently drew is that there is a crisis of confidence. “What was discussed today was that in the eyes of a large part of the discussion participants there is a natural crisis, which must be solved with a sense of urgency,” said Remkes in the Brabant capital.
According to the nature organizations, that is not possible. According to them, nature has been suffering ‘for decades from the much too high nitrogen deposition’, which means that rare plant and animal species are in danger of disappearing from Dutch nature reserves. “That is a big problem because biodiversity is the pillar of a well-functioning ecosystem,” the organizations argue.
Greenpeace director Andy Palmen spoke after the end of “a spirited conversation. What I miss is a sense of urgency. There is only talk about making plans and working towards 2030. Nature is already about to collapse in 2025. Ecologists are screaming murder and fire, then you have to intervene now and I just don’t see that in the cabinet.”
The government must also do more to help the agricultural sector make a turnaround, instead of encouraging farmers to stop their business, according to nature advocates. Sustainable farms in particular deserve government help. They need a good revenue model. They believe that a major change in the Dutch agricultural sector is inevitable.
Nature organizations also called for a contribution from other sectors, such as the mobility sector, including aviation and industry. Schiphol and factories would therefore also have to surrender.
Climate Minister Rob Jetten said afterwards: “We discussed the integrated approach. We want to ensure that we now try to tackle all climate and environmental problems in one go. The environmental organizations have given good guidelines and urged us to also look at industry and aviation.” Jetten believes that the cabinet is already doing this, he said in Den Bosch.
Agriculture Minister Henk Staghouwer and Prime Minister Rutte were not present at the meeting. That does not sit well with nature organizations. “These are ministers with great responsibility for the policy of the Netherlands. The fact that they are not there does not help to get the sound exactly where it should be,” says Bram van Liere of Milieudefensie.