Together with five other provinces and five livestock sectors, Drenthe has devised fifty pilot projects to accelerate the sustainability of livestock farming. They want 27 million euros from the government for this.
The trials are mainly intended to offer perspectives to livestock farms that continue their business after the nitrogen crisis, now that all kinds of new rules are being introduced. The pilot projects should start this year, the provinces want. According to them, there are not enough affordable and feasible measures in livestock farming that are guaranteed to contribute to reducing the emission of methane, particulate matter and odor, and accelerating sustainability.
The livestock sectors and the provinces hope that the results of the pilot projects can still form part of the agricultural agreement. To be able to start quickly, 8.5 million euros are needed. The entire project will cost 58 million euros. The six provinces are therefore asking for 27 million euros from the central government and they themselves contribute the rest together with the sectors.
Minister Piet Adema (Agriculture) and Minister Christianne van der Wal (Nitrogen) are positive about the plans. According to Drenthe, the ministers indicated that they want to explore whether and how the government can contribute to the trials. Deputy Henk Jumelet is happy with it. “With this commitment, we can work with agriculture on innovations to accelerate sustainability,” he says. “Innovation, which is well guaranteed in legislation and regulations, is a precondition. This offers the necessary perspective. The more we already achieve in nitrogen reduction, the smaller the task will be in the near future.”
Together with Gelderland, Brabant, Limburg, Overijssel and Utrecht, Drenthe is a so-called sand province; areas with a lot of high sandy soils where harmful substances easily leach out of the soil. To keep agriculture in perspective, sustainable solutions are needed quickly, they argue. ‘It is no longer possible to wait with innovation programs and concrete pilots at farmers’, according to the provinces.
The trials must lead to feasible and socially acceptable emission reductions for each livestock sector. All measures that reduce emissions will soon have to be monitored via sensors. In addition, efforts are made on the processing of manure, energy generation and feed policy.