The buyout scheme for Dutch peak loaders of nitrogen that expires on April 5 must be extended until the end of 2024. This is what the outgoing cabinet wants, insiders from The Hague announced on Friday evening. NRCafter previous reporting from NOS. At the beginning of next week, Minister for Nature and Nitrogen Christianne van der Wal (VVD) will send a letter about this to the House of Representatives.
The minister has previously indicated in Parliament that farmers should be given more time to decide whether they want to make use of the buyout scheme. So far, approximately 1,250 companies have registered. This turned out to be more than expected, which is why the government wants to double the current reserved amount of 1.5 billion euros. Only a few dozen have actually signed. Anyone who uses the scheme is bought out by the government for 120 percent of the value of the company.
Peak loaders are farms that are located in or close to nature reserves and have very high nitrogen emissions. The scheme is a sensitive issue for many farmers, who often do not want to stop their business at all and are also unwilling or unable to scale down. The government previously announced that there will also be arrangements for farmers who want to move their farms, but these have not yet been worked out. This contributes to the fact that many entrepreneurs remain in an uncertain situation – and may still have to wait to register for the current buyout scheme.