The Netherlands spends EU crisis funds outside of horticulture
This spring, the EU provided additional crisis support to the sectors most affected by the invasion of Ukraine. With € 8 million from Europe, the Netherlands can add twice that amount for emergency aid. However, Minister Henk Staghouwer of LNV chooses to use that money (€8 million) to make the run-off of pig and poultry farms more sustainable and not to add any own resources.
Land-bound sectors
Staghouwer argues for this division by pointing to the deposit of the crisis reserve by land-bound sectors. The money goes back to specific parts of the land-bound sectors. The greenhouse horticulture sector had insisted that this support be spent to compensate for the improved energy prices.
The Netherlands has allocated €8 from the EU agricultural crisis reserve, for which plans must be notified to the Commission before June 30, 2022 and payments made by September 30, 2022.
Countries with support for cultivation
Poland and Spain are spending the money to support the apple sector and other fruit sectors, among other things. The Netherlands opts for spending outside the fruit and vegetable sector.
€500 million
In order to contain the risks of the war in Ukraine for the European agricultural sector, the European Commission released a support package of €500 million at the end of March. Belgium will receive €6.27 million. According to EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski, the food supply in the EU is not currently at risk, but Europe wants to support growers and farmers to take up their role in the natural food supply. The necessity must be used for sustainability.