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Dutch politicians are considering a plan to force hundreds of farmers to sell off and cut livestock numbers, to reduce pollution caused by ammonia.

After the Netherlands' highest court ruled in 2019 that the government had breached EU law by not doing enough to reduce excess nitrogen in vulnerable natural areas, the country have been battling what they call a “nitrogen crisis.”

Now officials at the Dutch ministries of finance and agriculture have put forward proposals that include cutting livestock numbers by 30% – one of the most radical plans of its kind in Europe. Two scenarios proposed include forcing some farmers to sell their emissions rights and even their land to the state, if necessary.

 

A dairy farm in Barneveld, Netherlands. The Dutch government is considering measures to cut nitrogen emissions from farms to protect natural habitats and biodiversity. 

Pet waste, when mixed with urine, releases ammonia, a nitrogen-containing compound. When entering lakes and streams via farm runoff, excessive nitrogen can damage sensitive natural habitats, for example, encouraging algal blooms that deplete oxygen at the water's surface.

The Netherlands has one of Europe's largest livestock industries, with more than 100 million cattle, chickens and pigs. This is also the EU's largest meat exporter.

“We are a relatively small country with a lot of population, industry, transport and agriculture, so we are reaching the limit that nature can do. We urgently need to solve the nitrogen compound problem. This means that in the near future, choices must be made.”

However, the idea of ​​expropriation, or forced sale, due to the climate crisis, is politically controversial in a country where six months after a general election, multiple parties are trying to form a government. minority.

During parliamentary questions on September 7, the outgoing Dutch Agriculture Minister, Carola Schouten, confirmed that forcing the sale of emissions rights or land is the last of the measures being considered. .

“No, I don't want to get rid of the farmers,” she said. “I think in certain locations, companies cannot continue and so we have to make sure that we have the necessary rules in place.”

Environmentalists have welcomed the plans, saying they could be solutions that would apply across Europe. “It's a step in the right direction,” said Bram van Liere, a campaigner with Friends of the Earth in the Netherlands. We will do more in purchasing and helping farmers transition to sustainable agriculture.”

“The nitrogen crisis is very serious in the Netherlands, but nitrogen emission rates in Germany and Belgium are also very high. I think their huge factory farms will also have to be acquired to comply with the [EU] Habitats Directive and to protect nature,” Liere added.

But farming groups have spent months blocking roads with tractors to protest proposals to limit ammonia from animal waste.

“Expropriation is a bad idea,” said Wytse Sonnema, head of public affairs at the Dutch Agricultural and Horticultural Organization (LTO). The LTO has proposed a plan to finance farming innovation and voluntary farm relocation or closure.

“First: in principle. It is a land grab by the government that is inconsistent with good governance. The other reason is very practical: asset expropriations take 5-7 years before they come to fruition, and in many cases longer. We cannot wait that long, and of course the cost is much more expensive," LTO analyzed.

Some parties say a voluntary approach is needed. “Emissions of nitrogen compounds must be reduced significantly… but there are several ways to reduce it: open wide, meaning more land for livestock farming, relocation or voluntary acquisition from farmers near nature reserves, and investment in innovation.”

“In the Netherlands, the agricultural sector has been shrinking by 3% a year, many farmers have no one to succeed them, and it is predicted that in 10-15 years, 40-50% of farmers will not be farming. Forced confiscation plans… greatly damage support and trust in the government,” Boswijk said.

Despite disagreement in parliament, legal experts point out that the provision of such a law means that a corresponding climate policy must be introduced. Jacques Sluysmans, a professor of expropriation law at Radboud University Nijmegen, said most European countries have such laws. “In the Netherlands… with expropriation, compensation is very generous,” he added.

“I'm not sure to what extent countries look at each other, but on these issues you need to draw a line across Europe, otherwise they just move to another country and do the same thing there. The environment does not stop at the border," Professor Sluysmans shared his thoughts.

Marjan Minnesma, director of Urgenda, an NGO that won a court case to force the Dutch government to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, said the actions of environmentalists have the potential to promote The government takes further action in the future.

“I'm afraid this action is not because the government realizes they haven't done enough – I wish they would realize that – but because they are being forced by the courts,” Minnesma said. “I think the legal cases will be the driving force for more action in the coming years.”
According to the Center for Nature and People

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