She is especially concerned about how long it will take. “We’ve been working on it for a year now,” she says. “First there would have been a prospective letter from Staghouwer, which has been delayed. Then it became a profile letter, now an agricultural pact. There was news today that the government wants a first refusal right on agricultural land, and that too is not good for the trust between the agricultural sector and the national government.’
Van der Plas therefore invites ministers and ministries to dwell on all kinds of new proposals for the agricultural sector. “Trust is getting less and less,” he says. ‘And if you want to talk to farmers, but also nature or social organizations, you have to make sure there is trust. If farmers don’t have it, it will be difficult to speak.’
No changes
Therefore it defines a misperception that farmers are only trusted if nothing changes for them. “After all, nitrogen emissions have already been cut by more than 67 percent,” he says. “Pig farms have already reduced ammonia emissions by 80 percent and particulate matter emissions have been reduced by 40 percent.”
Van der Plas understands the views of farmers, who insist that the discussion of nitrogen emissions is a discussion for another time. “The herd will still organically shrink,” he continues. “There are many farmers who have no successors and the number of animals has been declining since 2018. There are more than 200,000 fewer cattle, ten million fewer chickens, one and a half million fewer pigs and 20,000 fewer sheep. So there’s already a contraction there.’
The article continues below the video.
Restoration of nature
He continues: ‘I would very much like to see what the shrinkage has produced compared to 2018 in terms of nature restoration, or for nature reserves. Let’s take it as a starting point. But now we don’t even know anything about that.”
Though Van der Plas acknowledges that farmers have lost faith, he’s afraid to say whether farmers — much like climate activists — are getting more radical and tough in their actions. ‘People always think I’m in close contact with activist farmers. I have contact with them, but they don’t inform me what they will do in three weeks.’
Parallel
Van der Plas sees a parallel between the desperation of climate activists and farmers. “Both groups are desperate for their cause,” he continues. “With Extinction Rebellion you really see the measures getting a little more radical. Sitting on highways, for example, or clinging to paintings. So there is a shared desperation.’
He concludes: ‘As people despair, stocks get bigger and more massive, or just a little more on the fringes of the law. Maybe even above. See what happens with climate activists too. But the electoral campaign must always be carried out within the rules of the law. If you break the law – which is possible – then you also have to understand the consequences.’