Farmers and local authorities propose new plan to break nitrogen emissions deadlock

A coalition of Dutch farmers, provinces, municipalities, and water boards has presented a new proposal to break the impasse over nitrogen emissions, warning that earlier plans from the national government lack sufficient guarantees to restart the stalled permitting process, NOS reports.

The plan, announced Thursday, marks the first time these groups have formally stated that compulsory measures against farmers are not ruled out. The proposal comes from the Interprovinciaal Overleg (Interprovincial Consultative Body, IPO), the farmers’ organization LTO, the Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten (Association of Dutch Municipalities), the Unie van Waterschappen (Union of Water Boards), and the Nederlands Agrarisch Jongeren Kontakt (Dutch Agricultural Youth Contact).

Under the plan, agriculture must emit 42 to 46 percent less nitrogen within ten years compared to 2019 levels. The organizations propose setting binding caps per farm for how much nitrogen may be released by 2030 and 2035. If companies fail to meet the targets, they could ultimately lose part or all of their permits or rights.

Earlier this year, a Dutch court ordered the state to take stronger action to prevent nitrogen from harming sensitive nature areas. The current proposal includes legally enforceable measures near two to five Natura 2000 nature areas where nitrogen problems are most severe. In these zones, the groups want the option to use so-called “statutory land reallocation,” which could force farmers to trade their land for parcels further from vulnerable habitats.

IPO chair Ina Adema told NOS, “That can mean that farmers are obliged — but without substantial financial loss — to exchange land located close to a nature area for land further away. The Cabinet also wanted this, but we are going a step further. We also want the option to apply binding measures around more areas in 2030 if the permitting process does not resume.”

In exchange for agreeing to this stricter approach, the coalition wants significant commitments from the demissionary Cabinet. They are asking the government to help farmers exit the sector through buyout schemes, to invest in innovation, and to cover a large part of the associated costs. Adema estimated that the plan would require “several billion euros” in national funding.

Farmers’ organizations also emphasized that companies should be judged solely on their own emissions, rather than the condition of nearby nature, since other factors influence environmental quality. They further demanded that any emissions room created by reductions be used to legalize so-called PAS reporters — farmers who had been operating under provisional declarations that are no longer valid.

For IPO, the plan is the first phase of a broader strategy. The organization intends to start discussions with nature conservation groups about what measures are needed to preserve and restore Dutch ecosystems. Adema predicted that the total approach could require tens of billions of euros from the state.