Why are farmers in the Netherlands angry? | Inside Story

Apr 04, 2024

Dutch

farmers

are

angry

, they say the government's plans to reduce nitrogen emissions will damage their livelihoods. The Netherlands is the second largest agricultural exporter. So what will this mean for the global food supply? This is an inside

story

. Hello, welcome to the program. I'm Rob. Matheson

farmers

in the Netherlands are blocking roads, burning haystacks and even driving tractors through the streets of The Hague. It's all in protest against laws that regulate emissions produced by livestock, but which will likely have a major impact on the farming community and the economy in general. The Netherlands has not met its emissions reduction targets, so permits for new homes and roads have not been granted since 2019 to prevent further pollution and the government is introducing strict new rules.

Its $100 billion food export industry, one of the largest in the world, could be severely affected and this is happening as the war in Ukraine is already putting the global food supply at risk. Now we're going to bring our guests over in a moment. First, this report from Steph Vassen in Nekherek, in the Netherlands, farmers have said they want to stop. Throughout the country they have announced that they want to block access to the main airport, skip hall, other airports, the port and Rotterdam. The situation has escalated between farmers' organizations, the farmers themselves and also the government on the other side in recent weeks. there have been farmers arrested in certain actions the police were involved there has also been aggression towards the minister and now here we are at the food distribution center one of the 25 that are blocked today by the farmers and let's take a look around, we see the trucks here they were ready to go to the supermarkets full of food meat dairy products you can hear the cooling machine still running but they can't go anywhere because look on the other side there are tractors there are trucks there are farmers sitting here they say no, farmers, no food , so they say we want people in the Netherlands to know that farms cannot be closed because they are very essential for food production.

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why are farmers in the netherlands angry inside story...

Across the country, the government has announced that farms have to cut more than 50 percent of production. Nitrogen emissions in some areas are even as high as 90 percent. There has been research showing that the effects of nitrogen pollution on ecosystems in the Netherlands are quite dramatic and farmers also say that these figures are not correct. They say we want a better solution. Government. has announced that he wants a mediator to participate, but the farmers on the farms have said that this mediator is not acceptable to us, they are sitting here, they are waiting here for maybe two or two days, some of them we spoke to before already they have done.

They sold their farms because they did not have the financial capacity to run their business. You can see the slogans here. If there are no farmers, there will be no food in supermarkets. That's what they say. Some have even brought hay and are putting it here. They brought their wooden shoes, it's really a protest, they say they had no choice, we are fed up and if they push us to the limit this is what we will do, but the question of course today remains how the Dutch public will respond to this . When there is no food or empty shelves in supermarkets today, what is the plan that has caused so much anger?

Well, Dutch farmers have been told to reduce nitrogen emissions by between 12 and 70 percent, depending on how close they are to the conservation areas that those areas are part of. What the European Union calls Natura 2000 is the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world. Farmers whose land is within nature reserves will have to cut back by ninety percent and those who cannot do so will have one of three options to switch to crops. agriculture, relocate or abandon trade, okay, let's bring our guests, they will all join us from the Netherlands in zevalde. We have Jerome van maanen, a dairy farmer and protest organizer in Amsterdam.

Natasha Oloman is a food and agriculture expert at the Global Fund. for the nature of the

netherlands

and theo manderslaute is a mediator between producers and buyers at agracon. She is also a member of agrati is one of the largest farmers' action groups in the Netherlands. A very warm welcome to all of you. Thank you very much for being with us. Natasha i. I want to start with you. Essentially, it is nitrogen and ammonia. Why do you think they are so bad? Well, ammonia and nitrogen specifically have a huge impact on biodiversity, especially in natural areas, and unfortunately the Dutch agricultural sector is one of the main contributors. to nitrogen emissions affecting biodiversity in the Netherlands we are still facing a biodiversity crisis and this is due to decades of government looking the other way and finally the government has made the decision to do something about it and this is causing a major disruption because farmers were not aware that they needed to change, but basically this is not a surprise, it has been happening for decades and now there is finally an opportunity to make this change and have the budget necessary to allow farmers to make the transition to a more sustainable economy. nature friendly way to produce food jerome are you shaking your head is this about nitrogen and pollution or is there something else going on here no, well we have some different problems but the main cause of this hole is because some left- The matches of the wing in the Dutch government they want to have a reduction of the Dutch national herd by at least 30 percent, well, they wanted to have 50 percent, but that is the main cause of everything and when we look at nature, the point as Natasha said Ulemans. you about the reports that everyone says in the last few years 85 of that nature is in perfect condition of the 15 percent of nature that is not in good condition there are about 1500 ways to improve nature and about 50 of these 1500 ways are It hasn't even been done yet in the Netherlands and nitrogen pollution is just one of them, so that's what Dutch farmers say when you need to improve a little bit of nature, all 15, okay, but then we use all the different ways that can be done to improve nature. and nitrogen pollution is just one of them, so in this case and what we also say as an agricultural sector in the last 30 years we already reduced almost 70 percent as an agricultural sector, so at this point, no other sector did a reduction like agriculture did.

For the last 30 years, Natasha, I know you want to come, but I want to bring Theo Mandaslone here. The Dutch government, as Natasha was explaining, has put together some kind of attempted solution and yet it seems to be constantly rejected by the farmers why none of these solutions are acceptable uh the Dutch government is not uh it's just working in one way. we as a farmer organization from the

netherlands

u offered the dutch government i think almost thousands of suggestions to do something, but uh do something to reduce nitrogen and this kind of uh to uh to help nature, but it's not about the nitrogen, it is about reorganizing the public space in the Netherlands and this is the only reason why the government does not talk to the farmers, but about the farmers and not how to accept the handshake that the farmers want to give to the government because we have banned it because we make farmers give many, many suggestions on nitrogen reduction. uh trying to uh to improve nature to uh to help the environment to do uh something with uh with uh with uh with the qualities of water and everything else and the Dutch government is just saying something about the eureka uh about uh critical objectives and uh not about uh and nothing about uh innovation and um and uh possibility solutions so this is this is the reason why we why we are this way we are protesting because uh because the government is not listening in any way For the farmers, They just follow their own path and go straight to achieving their goals instead of looking to nature, because farmers need a tribute to nature to produce endlessly at the highest level in the world and what is happening right now is that the government just saying something about nitrogen and many higher levels, but the point is that better if this was really a problem, then they would also suggest talking about our airports, about freight transportation, about barges, about freight transportation, about traffic and this. kind of thing but none of them are involved in some measures only the landscape and the farmers will be threatened by our government so this is not right let me bring you there because both geron and theo are saying that this is the nitrogen and the Impact of nitrogen and ammonia forms a small part of the picture.

In fact, it is a broader issue. The government actually wants to change land use within the country. What is your answer? How do you react to that? My answer is as follows there is no doubt that biodiversity is affected by nitrogen in the Netherlands there are numerous reports that indicate this but something must change and not from an ecological perspective but also from a legal perspective and that is why that the highest court in the Netherlands rules that nitrogen depositions in the Netherlands and emissions should be reduced by 50 in 2030. So, but apart from that, I agree with the other speakers that more is happening things in the Netherlands because we also have a water quality problem.

We have an air quality problem. in the Netherlands is far below what is needed to comply with the water framework directive in Europe, so our drinking water and groundwater are currently very polluted and agriculture is also one of the polluters of that In addition to nitrogen affecting biodiversity, we are also talking about air and water pollution and this is also why I think we need to have an agriculture transition that ticks all those boxes of things that need change and this great transformation of agriculture, although it will affect farmers. It can also be seen as an opportunity to really transition from a broken food system to a system that is good for nature but also provides a new future for farmers because the system we are in now is a system that is broken. and not working for farmers every day five farmers in the Netherlands suspend their businesses because there is no future, so the current system does not work for farmers, it does not work for biodiversity, it does not work for our health because the air quality in The Netherlands is really below a level that is healthy, so I agree with them that not only agriculture needs to change, but we also have to consider traffic in industries etc., but the fact is that The problem with the nitrogen case is that agriculture at the moment and especially dairy production is the one that contributes the most: 60% of national emissions are caused mainly by the dairy sector, so that is the beginning of the change, but I completely agree that we have to look much broader and that we have to analyze a situation where the current system in the Netherlands needs to be reorganized, both for food production and for the way we use our land, and this It means especially for farmers that a transition is needed, but that is why the government also allocates 35 billion euros in the budget for the next decades to help with that transition and support that transition and I would really appreciate it very much if farmers put forward a offer on how they can contribute and what is the price and costs that society also has to pay because I believe that this The problem is not caused by farmers because they are also victims of the current system, but farmers are the solution and can help leading the Netherlands into a future where it is green not only for nature but also for us, the people.

I'm going to stop you there because I want to bring Jerome. Forgive me for interrupting you, but I want to bring up Jerome because he clearly has very strong feelings about this. Jordan, explain something to me because, from what I've heard so far. the government seems to have the ultimate goal of improving the environment in the Netherlands and so do the farmers so what theo was saying is intrinsic to farmers it is important for farmers that nature is sustained that their livelihood is sustained where is it Where is this? analyzing where the problem is with this, that when both work towards the same end goal, ifThey want to, they can't find some kind of common ground to be able to move forward, but I wanted to respond to what Mr.

Natasha said. that right now um it's not true it's and it's very hypocritical also any problem you look at if it's nitrogen pollution if it's maintained if it's co2 or whatever the use of antibiotics dutch agriculture is world champion right now when we focus on nitrogen pollution We can pass the law, which is now a plan of our minister. It will mean that probably around 40 of the Dutch farmers will have to stop their businesses and production will have to leave Holland. You know, all countries in the world are in a difficult situation. Lower standard for nitrogen pollution, CO2 or any problem, so when we get rid of the Dutch farmers, other farmers in the world have to take care of the same production, we need more land use, there is more water use, everyone the problems that Natasha says, you know.

I can say something about the quality of Dutch water and it can always be improved, we have innovations for that, but when you move food production to other countries in the world, the standards were lower, so within 10 years Dutch citizens they will eat food produced at a lower standard than what is produced right now, you know, when we want to solve a problem, we not only have Holland in the world, but we need to see climate and nitrogen as a global problem and then we can improve the world by reaching Dutch standards not only. Get rid of the farmers in Holland because you are just pushing the problem out of sight and it doesn't solve anything, so it is ridiculous and also hypocritical.

Theo, let me ask you this because, as I understand Natasha correctly, the government has put money in to be able to help farmers transition from farming when we are predominantly talking about farming, moving from farming to farming is providing money to farmers. farmers who feel they are not able to meet the standards for farms to be purchased. It seems to me that the government is at least giving us some money. Let me ask you: what prevents ranchers from making the transition from ranching to agriculture? The biggest problem is that the government This was like unattainable goals in their um in their for themselves simply and they only speak for the farmers, not with the farmers, they are not interested in any innovation or solution, which they achieved also from the agricultural sector, we are, we are working like as an agricultural sector already for decades in innovation and in solutions to uh to reduce our emissions and um what is happening what is happening what is happening now is that our government in the past pointed out or 162 areas of nature of desire This nature they want to have some habitats in which they want to have to come or they want to have to protect some small insects or something like that, that's really good and we also like this as farmers, but the biggest problem is that, with that, if they use The Nitrogen Targets, not nitrogen, if we empty all the Netherlands, all the farmers, all the citizens, we still have a big problem because we have the nitrogen and the quality of the water that comes from the eastern part of Europe and what is floating in the Netherlands. so we can do what you want and we can try to do the best we have, but it is not possible, it is not possible, also, it sounds very good, 35 million euros for the million euros for the iukel sector in the Netherlands for the farmers, but this is not the truth, first of all, they don't have the money for it and, second, they have two, they have to try to improve something and try to help the farmers with some changes, with some changes, but If you look at what was happening a few weeks ago in our government, we had a Dutch farmer who was receiving money from the government for his natural purposes and The Dutch government was saying that I was telling him that it was very good that you changed your farm to live in nature, but this year we will end your payments for all your efforts, so this guy was totally lost and doesn't do it.

You know what to do because your company has to give up your company's farm because the government gives up to pay the money and the biggest problem is that our government is saying that they want to pay for everything and they want to do a lot. of things and they want, they want to change and they will not have changes, but the farmers also want to change, but our government is not reliable and this is the biggest problem, Natasha, do you think that given the food crisis that the world is in? ? that we are facing right now because of the war in Ukraine and restrictions on grains etc., do you think that while zero emissions may be a great goal for governments around the world, this is not the right time for No government is trying to bring this kind of thing, it is the right time to make a change and, honestly, I am a little surprised by the arguments that the other two, Theomanders and Vanman, are telling us because obviously I feel that we still have the illusion that the Netherlands is feeding the world.

The Netherlands is not feeding the world because a lot of grain, also from the Ukrainian past but also from Brazil, soybeans are coming to the Netherlands to feed the animals. These are raw materials that can be easily used. directly by humans to eat, so producing meat and dairy in the Netherlands in a very intensive way, which has been causing a lot of damage to nature, a lot of damage to water quality and to our air quality and our health In the world, the Netherlands is proud that we are the best producers, but the best producers in the Netherlands, perhaps it refers to the amount of production we are doing per hectare or per animal, but it has caused huge social and environmental problems, so if you look at the social cost that it entails, apart from all the subsidies that farmers need to make a living in the Netherlands, most of the Farmers depend for half their income on European subsidies to survive, so the Dutch system does not work. and this is not just me, as a nature conservationist, this is what our government says, this is what many scientists say, so change is needed, especially now with the operational crisis, because we need to feed the world of such way. way we use the land efficiently and to me it is not a legitimization that animals are fed the same crops and the same legumes that can be fed directly to humans, so I think, especially in this situation, that both we need to rethink the way we are. we produce and the way we consume and how to support that and nature both in the Netherlands and around the world and biodiversity is not something nice for nature and for wild animals, it is a necessity for us as humans because we depend on nature if there are no longer pollinators, then we do not have crops to eat, if we do not have healthy soils, then we cannot produce food in the future, if we do not have healthy water streams, then we cannot have drinking water, so I believe. that the Netherlands, especially because we have the most intensive agricultural system in the world, we are basically a wake-up call for the rest of the world to change jerome I want to bring you I want to bring you there because behind the back of What Natasha says, given the fact that we are In this global food crisis we are facing and given the role the Netherlands has been playing as one of the main food exporters to the world, this would seem like a good opportunity. so that the Netherlands can take full advantage of that and be able to come in I really want to come into the framework very quickly natasha please yes we are not the largest exporter in the world we are importing large quantities we are exporting large quantities. the amount of that natasha i'm going to stop you there i understand your point i want to go very briefly to jerome we only have about a minute left jerome given the fact of going back to my original point given the situation in the world, this would be an opportunity for the Netherlands will play a role in feeding the rest of the world.

Wouldn't it be a benefit to all farmers if farmers found a solution to this problem and quickly got back to what they did? What we do is produce food very briefly, that's right, yes, well, Dutch agriculture can teach the world a lot of good things and I think we, but before that, we need to have agriculture in Holland that is big enough, you know , when there are only 10. The farms left, the knowledge will disappear and we can't teach the world how to do it. We have important solutions for all the world's problems. That's why we are world champions in every aspect of any problem you have.

Dutch agriculture is needed for that. I think we need to have a strong national agricultural sector, Jerome, we'll leave it there, but thank you very much to all three of you. I want to thank all our guests, um jerome van maanen, natasha oilerman and theo mandis. Clearly, there is a lot. of the debate that will be held here, thank you also for watching, you can rewatch the show anytime by visiting our website aljazeera.com and for more information visit our Facebook page which is facebook.com forward slash aj en the inside