Author: Xianya Wang @ Food News Agency Foodthink
On July 28, Dutch farmers blocked the highway near Almelo with tractors. Image: AFP
On Friday (August 5), after more than a month of protest marches by Dutch farmers over the government's nitrogen reduction program, the deadlocked sides finally held an interview in The Hague, but the results were not satisfactory.
Two radical peasant representatives refused to attend because they did not trust the mediators, and Dutch Prime Minister Rutte criticized on social media that "a small group of farmers deliberately damage infrastructure and endanger the safety of others." ”
"Damage to infrastructure" is true. More than 40,000 Dutch farmers marched in tractors in the central province of Gelderland on June 22. More than a month after that, dairy farmers in many parts of the Netherlands have successively blocked large supermarket distribution centers, resulting in supermarket supply cuts, police and farmer conflicts and other incidents.
The series of protests was aimed at opposing the Dutch government's nitrogen reduction plan announced on June 10.
Under the plan, the Netherlands is expected to halve nitrogen emissions by 2030, while farms near the Natura 2000 nature reserve in Europe are the first to bear the brunt of a 70 percent reduction in nitrogen emissions. That means cutting the country's livestock population by 30 percent, and some farms are even facing government subscriptions and outright shutdowns, causing strong resentment among farmers.
However, the Dutch government's plan to reduce emissions is not unfounded. The Netherlands is the world's second largest exporter of agriculture and the degree of intensification of aquaculture is very high.
According to 2021 data, the Netherlands' 41,540 square kilometers (equivalent to half the area of Chongqing) have nearly 4 million cattle, 11.4 million pigs and nearly 100 million chickens, and the breeding density is four times higher than the EU average, and the resulting nitrogen oxide emissions cause water pollution, biodiversity loss, and exacerbate climate change.
So, is this nitrogen reduction plan really a "crime" for farmers to pollute the environment, and the government imposes heavy "penalties" on them? On the face of it, the recent protests are an intensification of the classic contradiction between environmental protection and agriculture. But in fact, why are farmers angry?
A one-size-fits-all nitrogen reduction program
This is not the first time dutch farmers have demonstrated on nitrogen reduction.
In 2019, when I was studying organic farming at Wageningen University, I witnessed farmers driving tractors around the school square. Since the official nitrogen reduction map is based on modelling studies at Wageningen University, farmers protest against the school, which can be regarded as a certain degree of "unjust debt and master".
But it's not just farmers who aren't happy with this emissions calculation, but also different voices within schools. Kees van Veluw, a lecturer in the Agricultural Systems Ecology Teaching and Research Group at the University of Watts, believes that the model is too simplistic to take into account the differences in farms. He cites the example of the Leonarddale Ter Linde Farm (hereinafter referred to as "Ter Linde") to illustrate this point.
Founded in 1926, the biodynamic farm Leonardo Ter Linde raises livestock in addition to growing cut flowers, fruit trees, and vegetables. Image: The farm's official website
Located in the southern Netherlands province of Zeeland, Ter Linde Farm is a biodynamic farm with an actual annual nitrogen fertilizer application of only 100 kg/ha.
This figure is far below the upper limit of nitrogen fertilizer application set by the Dutch government: the upper limit of nitrogen fertilizer application on organic farms is 170 kg/ha per year, while the upper limit for nitrogen fertilizer (including livestock manure and fertilizers) on conventional farms is 250 kg/ha per year. "It would be unrealistic if Ter Linde farms were also to reduce nitrogen to meet emissions reduction targets. This is tantamount to directly shutting down the farm. Keith said.
In recent decades, there have been a number of farms like Ter Linde that operate in a more sustainable way in the Netherlands. Unlike conventional intensive farming, these organic farms, circular farms, and nature inclusive farms have already made a great contribution to reducing emissions. This is due to the low amount of nitrogen applied, but also because the nitrogen use efficiency of organic farms is already higher than that of conventional farms.
A one-size-fits-all plan to cut emissions is unfair to Keith.
Unreasonable nitrogen emission calculations
● The hayland organic pasture is located in Gelderland in the central Netherlands, which is also the area most affected by the nitrogen reduction plan. In late July, the authors visited Lodewijk Pool and Floor de Kanter at Meadow Ranch.
Floor de Kanter, head of the organic ranch De Hooilanden, agrees that model calculations for nitrogen reduction do not fit the farm's reality.
Flor said that the nitrogen emissions of the farm are calculated according to the feed consumption and defecation of the cattle in the "Standard Model", and then combined with public data such as the farm footprint to estimate the number of livestock on the farm, and then calculate the proportion of nitrogen reduction in 2030. The "Standard Model" is based on the conventional intensive production method.
"The model doesn't matter if your farm is an organic farm or has already undergone a technical treatment of manure and urine separation in the cattle pen (which effectively reduces ammonia production and emissions). Take our farm, for example, according to the model, we have 190 cows, but in fact we only have 70. Flor said.
What makes her feel unfair, in addition to oversimplified model calculations, there are also reasons such as so-called "business data confidentiality", which makes the nitrogen emissions of many processing companies cannot be accurately calculated. In fact, these companies are likely to emit more nitrogen.
"The policymakers in the government building now, all of whom have studied law and management, lack an understanding of engineering and practical aspects to formulate one-size-fits-all policies." Flor added.
Despite the views on nitrogen reduction policies and the fact that the hay pastures are also located in the Gelderse Vallei, where emissions reduction targets are as high as 70 percent, Flor did not participate in the parade.
On the contrary, she is a firm supporter of reducing production, reducing emissions and reducing the scale of aquaculture. After all, "the Netherlands injects too much livestock manure into farmland, which is banned in neighboring Germany and Belgium." ”
Since the 1980s, the injection of liquid manure into arable land and the installation of ventilation equipment in corrals have effectively reduced ammonia emissions in the Netherlands by 60%. However, after 2014, with the expansion of intensive aquaculture, ammonia emissions have also increased. Near nature reserves, nitrogen enrichment in land and water bodies leads to significant biodiversity loss. Image: Manure Manager
The plight of conventional farmers
But many of the young farmers Flor knew took part in the June 22 march. Most of them are regular farmers, saddled with bank loans to upgrade their cattle pens and expand production.
This is not unrelated to the Dutch government's policy of promoting the expansion of agricultural production over the past few decades. As the scale of farms grows larger and larger, feed companies, agrochemical companies, transportation and logistics companies, etc. are slowly developing and growing, and it is these agricultural companies that earn most of the profits of the aquaculture industry.
Jorian also mentioned Royal Agrifirm Group, the largest agricultural company in the Netherlands, which is also among the top 5 richest companies in the Netherlands. Every year, such large agricultural companies spend a lot of money lobbying the Dutch and EU governments to make decisions that benefit the industry. Image: Network
"The statement that agriculture doesn't make money is not true, it's just that farmers don't make money." Jorian Damen, a partner at Gelukkige Groentes, told me, "You haven't heard of any farmer whose asset profits make it to the top five of the rich Dutch list." ”
Living in the Netherlands, a large agricultural country, it is inevitable that the stereotype of "farmers are rich" will arise. Unexpectedly, behind these beautiful farmhouses and modern and efficient cattle pens, farmers engaged in conventional farming are just barely making ends meet.
Located in the central Netherlands province of Gelderland, Happy Vegetable Farm covers an area of about 7.5 acres and adopts a community-supported agriculture business model. Since April this year, the author has begun to intern here. From left to right, the partners Jorian, Martin and Sam are shown. Image: The farm's official website
Keith, a lecturer at Wageningen University, said that farmers are also highly dependent on agricultural subsidies from the Dutch government and the European Union while carrying bank debt. However, subsidies as little as €250/ha and as much as €400/ha are only meant to keep agricultural products low, which also makes it harder for farmers to make money.
Take milk, for example. The average price of whole milk in Dutch supermarkets is stable at 1-1.5 euros/l, but the purchase price of milk is less than half of the retail price: organic milk is 0.55 euros/liter, and non-organic milk is 0.45 euros/liter, which is almost the same as the production cost of dairy farmers. "This should have been calculated by their actuary. If large companies were willing to pay farmers a little more, things would be much better. Keith said.
In an already unfair market mechanism, nitrogen reduction policies mean that conventional farmers reduce the scale of production and further lose profit margins.
The future of agriculture
Although the Dutch government's nitrogen reduction plan is not sloppy, the task of reducing emissions and the sustainable transformation of agriculture are still imperative.
In 2020, the EU Ministry of Agriculture set ambitious targets within the framework of the Green Deal and Farm to Fork: by 2030, one-quarter of the agricultural land in EU member states will need to be cultivated organically and pesticide applications will need to be halved.
In Keith's view, the EU's determination to develop sustainable agriculture means that organic and agroecological agriculture are future-oriented production methods, which is also an opportunity in this crisis.
Jorian of Happy Vegetable Farm expects the government to take more radical measures to reduce emissions. Before working in agroecology, he studied business administration at university and did business data analysis after graduation. Jorian, who once helped companies grow their businesses, now subscribes to the "Degrowth" view of development.
"In the past, we have been pursuing economic growth, increasing production and stimulating consumption. But growing demand is beyond the confines of the planet. Anti-growth advocates letting the economy fall back. We need to produce less, consume less, save less, and even make less money. Jorian said.
Low wages and long working hours are common conditions in Dutch agriculture. The goal of Happy Vegetable Farm is to enable partners and interns to achieve a "nine-to-five" rhythm of life under the premise of rational planning and efficient production. The picture shows the planting bed of the farm.
For the future, Flor and her husband also have a clear plan for "hay pasture":
"The area of our pasture is 55 hectares and the number of cows is 70. According to dutch certified organic standards, we can actually raise 80 cows, but we did not use this quota. In that sense, we've been reducing emissions for a long time.
We decided to move towards a 'nature inclusive farm'. Take a step back and do non-intensive pastures, let the cattle play more natural management functions than production, and give nature more space. In fact, our vision and government planning are aligned. She said confidently and proudly.
Hay Farm is also a "care farm" that works with local special needs care agencies and also runs a small shop that sells directly the farm's homemade organic butter, cheese, beef and other products. In Flor's view, it is most sustainable to diversify farm operations and incomes, protect the environment, and give back to society.
● Farm unattended self-service shop.
In fact, hay pastures are also transformed from conventional pastures. However, the transition to sustainable agriculture is not always easy.
This is why in the joint proposal "Green Farmer Plan", a number of ecological agricultural organizations in the Netherlands have repeatedly highlighted the systemic problems of the food farming system and made practical and specific recommendations for the government. For details, please see how >> emission reduction does not hurt farmers? Dutch green farmers write to the government for ten recommendations
Examples include the development of circular agriculture, the promotion of farmers' position in short-distance supply chains, the taxation of food produced in unsustainable ways, the support of organic and ecological agriculture through incentives, the encouragement of healthy diets, and the provision of technical and social support to farmers who want to transform...
Of course, how to implement the nitrogen reduction policy depends on the follow-up plans formulated by the grass-roots governments. But what is certain is that farmers will not give in to simple and crude government plans. To achieve emission reduction targets, governments must provide policy and social support for agricultural transformation at all levels.
| Wang Xianya, author of food news agency: a professional in Albanian language in northern foreign countries, has been a translator for more than ten years. He later studied organic farming at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, but became fascinated by Permon agronomy. Now holland concentrates on growing vegetables, writing, painting, and wants to be a good farmer in the future.
The pictures in the text are taken by the author if they are not described
Edit: Zen