The nitrogen problem causes stress, sadness and anger among farmers. Angry or not, the government’s plans to quickly cut nitrogen emissions remain in place. Farmers must therefore reduce their emissions, but how? NU.nl discusses a number of options.
Option 1: Rollback/Close
The first and most rigorous option: penance. Farmers stop their activities and get paid for it. Two systems have been implemented for this: the national and the regional system.
As part of the national measure, farmers will receive money to stop their activities in order to reduce their nitrogen emissions. The subsidy desk will be opened for this within this year. States do different things: they consider buying a company. This includes the purchase of so-called “hill loaders”, which are farms with a high nitrogen load in Natura 2000 areas.
In both systems, although farmers receive money to stop their activities, the goals, tools and implementers of the program are different. However, there is an important agreement: the takeover is always voluntary. “There will never be the slightest trace of liability,” said the spokesperson for the Interprovincial Consultation (OPI).
Option 2: Customize
The second option is to customize. The farm will therefore not close and it will not be completely renovated. An adjustment would be to feed the animals less protein, for example. “A farmer can reduce nitrogen emissions by up to 20% by feeding him differently,” says researcher Gerard Migchels of Wageningen University and Research.
In addition, the farmer can choose to dilute the spreading manure with water, move cows to pasture more often and reduce the number of young animals. While these steps may seem small, Migchels says they can take important steps. “If you replace this package (including feeding the animals differently, editor’s note), the nitrogen emissions are about 30 to 40% lower.”
Option 3: turn the tide
The last option is somewhere in between the first two: we keep everything open, but do it differently. An example of this is the transition from traditional “conventional” farming to organic farming. “A farmer then fertilizes less and has fewer cows per hectare,” says Migchels. In some cases you can cut emissions in half,” he says.
However, he also underlines that such a step is not painless. “Suppose you do this on your current plot. Fewer cows are housed, but still the same size and expensive (often bank-financed, ed.). How do you solve these “investment” costs, Migues wonders aloud.
Another option he mentions is multifunctional farming: reduce the number of animals on your farm and combine it with another service. Consider camping on a farmer’s property or on the ranch. “But whether that is possible depends on where you are and the personality of the farmer. Not everyone expects a nursery in their backyard’, he says.
Source: NU
John Cameron is a journalist at The Nation View specializing in world news and current events, particularly in international politics and diplomacy. With expertise in international relations, he covers a range of topics including conflicts, politics and economic trends.