But for that, the provinces will have to get to work as quickly as possible, says Thom van Campen, VVD spokesman for nitrogen. “I think it’s important that the provinces are the competent authorities who also have discussions with farmers and environmental organizations in the area,” he tells political journalist Leendert Beekman. “So that they in turn can get to work with good arrangements and propositions, and to put the puzzle together.”
A puzzle which, according to Van Campen, consists on the one hand of an agricultural sector with good prospects for the future, and on the other hand of a good state of conservation of the nature reserves. “If that can be combined with each other, then we’re really going to go ahead and fix that.”
Possibility
According to Beekman, there are actually cabinet opportunities ahead. For example, he talks about “many farmers” who have no business successor and can be taken over voluntarily. “That would affect 17,000 farmers,” Beekman says. ‘If you as a province can move there when the buyout deals are in place, things can go very quickly in the short term. But then the provisions have to be in place and the will has to be there.’
“Can go very quickly in the short term”
However, MEP Jeanette Baljeu from the province of South Holland indicates that her province does not have enough resources to initiate that nitrogen policy and to start a sprint towards 2025 and 2028. “For this we have already made available a small sum of 20 million, but more is needed if we want to work with everyone in the province”.
25 billion
For example, the province of South Holland could not yet finance the voluntary cessation programme, “which requires the funds that are included in the 25 billion euros from the government,” he says. And this applies to all provinces. They really want to get to work.’
A first draft approach is expected from all provinces on July 1 and Baljeu calls on the government to release funds for this as soon as possible. “Then we can really begin.”