The province is going to shift its stable policy. Farmers who want to build a low-emission barn will have six months longer to apply for a permit. The provincial government informed this in a letter to the Provincial Council this week. The ZLTO calls that ‘ridiculous and indecent’.
Brabant has long had its own policy when it comes to limiting nitrogen emissions: farmers must have a low-emission stable before 1 January 2024. The permit for this had to be applied for before April 1, 2023. That deadline has now been pushed back by the provincial government to October 1, 2023.
To be clear: the deadline for barn adjustments will remain on January 1, 2024. However, the province indicates that they will be ‘flexible with enforcement’.
Actual reduction
On November 4, the province announced that it would temporarily stop issuing permits. This is because the judge questioned the actual reduction of those low-emission stables several times. The province decided that the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality should clarify how to deal with the emission calculations.
LNV announced that it would not be able to make a decision about the housing systems until ‘mid-2023’. That would therefore be too late for the permit applications that the province of Brabant has to process. Reason enough for the province to put the deadline back by six months.
‘Standing still is not an option’
ZLTO, the farmers’ interest group, has ‘acknowledged with dismay’ of the letter sent by the provincial government to the Provincial Council. Chairman Wim Bens: “The Provincial Executive responded to the VVD PvdA motion ‘standing still is not an option’. After reading the letter, we can only conclude that standing still is reinforced by the solution of this board.”
Stable adaptation
Livestock farmers will have six months more time to submit a permit for a barn modification. The deadline for placement remains January 1, 2024. ZLTO thinks this is ‘ridiculous and indecent.’ The farmers are of the opinion that the Brabant Stables Decree for the adaptation of cattle stables older than 15 or 20 years is completely unfeasible. They want the barn adjustment completely off the table.
On Friday, the stables policy will be discussed at the provincial government during a debate.
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