EU Greenlights 700 Million Euro Payout for Dutch Farmers to Close Livestock Farms

A cow at Martin Neppelenbroek's farm in Lemelerveld, The Netherlands, on July 7, 2022. (The Epoch Times)

The European Commission has approved a major scheme to compensate farmers in the Netherlands for voluntarily closing livestock farms in nature conservation areas.

On Wednesday, the Commission said the 700 million euro ($762 million) initiative aims “to improve the quality of the environment and promote more sustainable and environmentally friendly production in the livestock sector.”

The scheme will run until Oct. 1, 2029, for small- and medium-sized livestock farmers in the Netherlands who voluntarily close their farming sites in and around the EU’s huge flagship conservation area, Natura 2000.

Natura 2000, is the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world, extending across all 27 EU Member States, with more than 160 sites in the Netherlands.

To qualify, sites must meet specific nitrogen emission thresholds to ensure their closure benefits the environment.

Reducing Nitrogen

The Netherlands has agreed to the energy and climate objectives under the European Green Deal, which ties it to climate neutrality in 2050 and a 55 percent emission reduction in 2030.

Since last year, the European Commission has been approving large sums to compensate livestock farmers in certain areas if they agree to voluntarily close their farms as part of the Netherlands’ efforts to reduce nitrogen deposition on nature conservation areas.

Last year, the Commission earmarked 1.47 billion euros ($1.62 billion) for this purpose.

The Netherlands is the world’s fifth-largest exporter of food, exceeded only by the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and China, according to World Bank statistics.

In 2022, the Dutch government under former Prime Minister Mark Rutte had aimed to reduce nitrogen compound emissions by 50 percent by 2030.

The policy was highly controversial and faced significant opposition from farmers and some political parties.

Nationwide protests erupted when Rutte announced that the plans made it clear that “there is not a future for all” Dutch farmers under the government’s objectives.

Several hundred farmers demonstrate during the second stage of the Vuelta a Espana cycling race, 175 km (108 miles) between Bolduque and Utrecht, in Woudenberg, on Aug. 20, 2022. (Koen van Weel / ANP / AFP via Getty Images)

One dairy farmer in the Netherlands, interviewed by The Epoch Times in 2022, explained that he would have to cut his livestock numbers by 95 percent to meet the government’s new environmental regulations.

Martin Neppelenbroek made the remarks while speaking with Roman Balmakov, host of “Facts Matter” on EpochTV.

Another farmer stated that the government had forced him to get rid of 12 cows as part of its efforts to reduce phosphate, and expressed concerns that he would have to close down his farm if he was forced to cull more livestock.

Radical Changes

A new conservative government has since formed, which includes The Farmer-Citizen Movement (BBB), set up in 2019 in the wake of widespread farmers’ protests and PVV, led by Geert Wilders.

In a document in May, it vowed to bring radical changes to the country’s energy policies and scale back its former farming policies.

The new government announced, for example, that it will not force a reduction in livestock, nor will it seize or take away farms or livestock from farmers against their will.

However, it still has a nitrogen reduction strategy with emission targets which will take place where it is “demonstrated to be necessary for nature conservation.”

“For centuries, farmers have worked the soil, kept livestock, shaped the landscape, and worked with nature,” it said.

It added that “farmers and growers are the professionals, so their professional expertise is at the heart of our policy, with a focus on the goal instead of on the measures. And farmers will be in the driving seat.”

Katabella Roberts contributed to this report.