Half of Dutch livestock farmers are in legal uncertainty following a recent significant nitrogen ruling by the Council of State in December. This is an early estimate by Rabobank and agricultural consultancy Flynth, confirmed by Rabobank after reports by Nieuwe Oogst.
If accurate, the government faces a considerable challenge. According to Rabobank, which serves most farmers, around 14,000 livestock farms lack valid permits, out of about 28,000 total farms in the Netherlands, based on CBS data.
Rabobank’s estimate is rough due to limited information. Farmers without valid permits fall into three groups: PAS reporters affected since 2019, ‘interimmers’ with old permits, and those impacted by the latest ruling.
The government aims to support affected businesses, with a goal to provide clarity by 2030. Previous efforts to legalize affected farmers have been challenging.
A new ministerial committee is tasked with assessing the ruling’s impact, a difficult task as many businesses were not previously required to have permits. Rabobank’s Alex Datema notes the difficulty in accurately assessing the situation as the bank only reviews permits during financing requests.
The committee is expected to propose new plans in two months.
Source: NOS