‘Piet Adema, don’t forget Brussels!’
Dear Piet Adema,
The Hague is of course important as the new Minister of Agriculture. And you will visit many stables and greenhouses to get acquainted. But the real field of activity for an agriculture minister is the corridors of EU buildings.
In the labyrinth of backrooms and interests, it is important to knock on the right knock. The Netherlands is quite a small country, so you have to work smart and hard to get support and majorities. But that is entrusted to you, as the constructive Frisian as I know you.
Expensive fertilizer
The list of battle points is long. Think of the fertilizer substitutes from mineral concentrate. Now that the fertilizer is scarce and staggeringly expensive, we’re authorizing substitutes from the most feasible. An environmentally friendly solution to multiple problems, you might think. But the European Commission does not want to give permission yet. As MEPs, we have been putting this on the table with the EU Commissioner for years, but he does not want to move.
Brussels and Natura 2000 areas
You will probably also find the EU Bill for Nature Restoration in your pile of documents. The title sounds nice: who could be against that? But the fine print hides the fact that our EU Commissioner Frans Timmermans and his right-hand man Diederik Samson are very committed to nature. For example, they propose that farmers donate 10% of their land for natural roadsides. Even more areas than the Natura areas must be exempted as 2000 animal species. Sometimes even for species that have not been found in an area for 70 years!
So be careful not to put the Netherlands in a bind for the years.
Crop protection
And then the crop protection products. The EU bans one remedy and application after another. But the promised greener substitutes are not forthcoming. The EU services are slow, but the Dutch Board for the Authorization of Plant Protection Products and Biocides (Ctgb) is still very slow. Bad for farmers, the environment and food production!
Wolves
Finally, you know big horrible pictures of sheep torn open and eaten calves and ponies. The wolves cause more damage to horses, even in your own Friesland. If you are attached to sheep and dairy farming, you can encourage fellow minister Van der Wal to apply for an exemption in Brussels to manage problem wolves. Just like many other EU countries have done before.
As SGP, we have been advocating for all these issues in Brussels for a long time. It would be great if the Dutch government also started working on this.
There is a lot to achieve in Brussels for those who want it and know their way around
On October 17-18, your first agricultural council will be with your fellow EU agriculture ministers, formerly in Luxembourg instead of Brussels. Show what you stand for and what you want. Because there is a lot to achieve for those who want it and know the way.
One of your guardians even had an apartment in Brussels. That may be going a bit far, but definitely choose a smooth start and sturdy shoes for your many follow-up appointments!
Goodbye, God bless you,
Bert-Jan Ruissen, Member of the European Parliament SGP in the parliamentary committees for Agriculture and Fisheries.
The latest nitrogen news on your mobile.
Look at here how to pin this app to your mobile home screen.