During the working visit of Flemish Prime Minister Jan Jambon (N-VA) and Flemish Minister of Environment Zuhal Demir (N-VA) to Moelingen, about thirty young farmers from the Voeren area protested against the lack of clarity in the nitrogen dossier.
Uncertainty
The farmers mainly want clarity because investments in their company cannot now be made because they do not know where they stand.
“People have been saying for six months to a year that there must be a new nitrogen agreement, that changes must be made and people must adapt, but to date it is not yet clear what should be done,” said Robert Theunissen of the Agricultural collective Voeren. against Jambon and Demir. “The problem with that is that no one knows what they need to adjust and if they want to make adjustments, they have no assurance that those adjustments will be good enough for five years.”
Precisely because there is currently no such certainty, it is very difficult for farmers to convince the banks to provide them with the necessary loans for this.
Consultation with Jambon and Demir
After a twenty-minute meeting with Jambon and Demir, the farmers have become a little wiser. “They gave us the feedback I was hoping for,” said Theunissen. “They are working on the case and they are going to set up a panel for the various farmers’ associations, farmers and agricultural engineers to review the regulations. As a result, farmers are effectively heard. They also made clear what the problem was. They have pushed the whole problem off for fifteen years and now they are stuck against a wall. Changes have to be made, but that cannot be done in a week.”
The farmers are therefore pleased that they will receive clarity and that the measures that will be needed in the next 5 to 15 years will be mapped out. “If we know what we can do in the next 15 years, then we can go to the bank and make the right investments to make our businesses greener and better.”
Flemish Minister for the Environment Zuhal Demir understood the problems farmers face. “I understand their concerns and understand that they are angry. But they also understand that nitrogen must be reduced. I have told them that we have to go through that sour apple, but I hope that everyone will soon know where they stand and that we can grant permits that are legally secure. But for that the nitrogen framework has to be in order.”
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