The Farmers Defense Force itself says it has not participated in the negotiations on the agriculture agreement because the coalition agreement would limit the possibilities for agreements too much. ‘In other words: sign at the cross’, writes FDF on its website.
FDF also looks forward to the agreements that provinces want to make to maintain healthy soil, clean drinking water and clean air. The farmers’ collective fears that these so-called area programs are at the expense of agriculture. “We will not be taken away from our companies. And he will take any avenue to secure our rights.’
Uncertain future
BNR reporter Jigal Krant spoke today with Erik Luiten about Agactie at his farm in Aalten, Gelderland. Luiten got up this morning with the “necessary agitation for the agricultural agreement”. “How will the future be?”
The scenario that the government will announce unilateral measures in the absence of a deal is realistic, according to Luiten. ‘That’s why we started the conversation, to get to know each other. There is a considerable risk that the cabinet will now draw up its own measures.’
20 percent reduction
The same crucial points for Agractie’s withdrawal from the consultations were now also the reasons for this coup, Luiten points out. “It’s really about land ownership, how restrictive measures are imposed, how many animals you can keep. It’s just important to me that I can keep my animals to keep paying the bill. Especially in times where collective agreements they involve a 10 per cent wage increase, while we farmers face a 20 per cent reduction. That’s not possible.’
“For me it is particularly important to be able to keep my pets to pay the bill”
‘We now have around 150 dairy cows, but that should be halved. Any child can imagine that this is never financially feasible,’ says Luiten.
Climate question
The question is whether all of this should be the solution to the climate issue, Luiten says. Because you and me and all of us have to keep eating anyway. We can greatly reduce the number of cows, but we must realize that in other places the number of animals will at least double. So overall it won’t help us get further away from the targets.’