It is certain that outgoing Agriculture Minister Pete Adema will not go to Brussels in the short term to demand space within European fertilizer rules. This was announced on Thursday evening during the fertilizer discussion. Even his new fertilizer plan does not give the Commission confidence that water quality will improve.
The minister made contact with European Environment Commissioner Virginius Sinkevicius on Wednesday, one day before the fertilizer discussion. “I noticed that the road to Brussels is closed. The MPs and farmer organizations who ask me to get rid of everything are asking a lot of me.”
Cover the nose
Proposals put forward by MPs and farmers, such as a crop exemption, a grassland exception for land farms, a reduction in the 220kg of nitrogen per hectare restriction as used in Ireland or a slower phase-out route for the current exception; The Minister put the whole matter up for discussion in Brussels. “I have been criticized over and over again. I have made every argument and every reference to the commissioner. There is no opening at all.” As long as the water quality in our country does not improve, Sinkevičius will not save any space, as Adema pointed out several times.
Andre Flach (SGP) wanted to know whether the Hermann de Boer report, which shows that water quality is better on unsupervised farms, was also discussed. The media indicated that this was not the case. Adema says this had no impact on the committee's current decision. “The report was already sent to the European Commission in February 2023 and is therefore known there.”
Brussels shows the result
According to the minister, the only way for Brussels to go for space within European rules is to implement his own fertilizer package, complemented by measures from the parties' agricultural plan. Then we show the Commission that we are serious. Is there a chance for a new derogation? I don't know. There is never a guarantee. “There may be a moment when I don't want to anticipate those conversations.”
In response to the Minister's answer, Harm Holman (National Security Council) wants to know how long he thinks it will take to put together a representative plan that can be taken in the bag to Brussels.
“I spoke to the Commission about skimming across sectors, the procurement plan, the grassland standard and the nutrition measures,” Adema sums up, after which he concludes that “the whole package was not enough to push the Commission into action.” His prediction is that “the door will open again as soon as Estimated at the beginning of next year, we have to work on implementing the procedures, and I am excited to my core to be able to supply Europe.”
The Minister also holds a mirror up to the House of Representatives: “Today I do not hear of any new solutions that I have not already brought to the attention of the European Commission. The difficult conclusion is that the Netherlands has not obtained a new exemption in any form at this time.”
Read also: Broad support in Parliament for radical fertilizer plans by the minister and the sector parties
acceleration
Adema confirms that he wants to speed up the implementation of the measures, because the sector cannot wait. The Minister's proposal is therefore to ask Parliament for the green light for each measure, rather than waiting until the entire package is fully developed.
Within four weeks, the House will receive a letter outlining how the Minister intends to implement certain actions and the associated timetable. For example, the broad purchase plan cannot be opened before 2025, because it must first undergo a state aid test. Other measures, such as active feeding, can be introduced in the short term.
The Minister also wants to discuss the implementation of the measures with the four parties from the dairy sector that developed the plan themselves.
Support base
Perec is concerned about supporting these measures. “The parties that have now taken a step forward represent only a part of the agricultural sector. Isn't it worrying that your support base will soon be so limited?”
Adema: “Even if the proposals had not come from the agricultural parties, I would have continued with my fertilizer package. Specifically because of the conversations I've had with groups and individual farmers. There are many farmers who ask me to continue, regardless of the opinion of agricultural organizations. “I do it for individual farmers who are facing problems.”
Tolerance policy
The BBB'er still has difficulty with the fact that the Minister only wants to talk to the scheme applicants, LTO, NAJK and Natuurweide, and not to the other farming parties.
The Minister is aware of the plan of other agricultural organizations to introduce a tolerance policy. He believes that this plan is irresponsible, because European and national legal measures may have significant negative consequences. “This proposal has no sense of reality at all, which is why I can’t do anything with it. Moreover, I haven’t seen any constructive plans from other parties.”
Adema stresses that these are still welcome: “Everyone is free to put forward an interesting proposal, but I will not discuss it, otherwise we will go to a second round of the agricultural agreement. “I got into an argument with the House because I don't have time to talk for months.”
video
Cor Perec asked Minister Adema how difficult the Netherlands' efforts to maintain the exception are based on recently published public information. Watch the Minister's response below.
Avid music fanatic. Communicator. Social media expert. Award-winning bacon scholar. Alcohol fan.