So now let’s wait as long as possible and harvest?
That does sound logical. But if it were up to the Ministry of Agriculture, harvesting would take place earlier than October 10. Minister Adema calls on farmers in Drenthe, Friesland and Groningen in a letter to Parliament not to wait until the deadline, but to harvest their corn as quickly as possible.
Tineke de Vries, chairman of the LTO arable farming and field vegetables department, has said that she has little understanding of the ministry’s decisions. “Not agricultural practice, crop conditions or the weather, but the province where you live, now determines whether you as an arable farmer can harvest mature crops or not,” she says. “This policy must be changed immediately.”
Corn and potatoes. Is that like comparing apples and oranges?
Not as far as LTO is concerned. “The fact that Minister Adema is now making an exception for corn and not for other crops that are not yet fully grown shows administrative arbitrariness,” says De Vries. “The arguments that the minister uses with regard to corn also apply to potatoes and other arable crops. That is double standards.”
According to the ministry, there is indeed an important difference between potatoes and corn. A spokesperson for the ministry explains that the rules surrounding corn are ‘mandatory’, and those surrounding potatoes are ‘incentive’. “With potatoes, the entrepreneur has the choice to harvest them later. The following year you can spread less manure on your land. If you harvest corn too late, this means an immediate fine the next day.”