Is the Netherlands poised to force farmers to reduce animal numbers for the environment?
Meat Atlas, a report compiled by Friends of the Earth released this week, highlighted the failure of any government to enact legislation directly addressing the impact of animal agriculture on the environment. That could all be about to change should plans being drawn up by civil servants in the finance and agriculture ministry come to fruition.
While the Netherlands plan aims to tackle the country’s ongoing “nitrogen crisis” by limiting the amount of ammonia released when manure mixes with urine, as opposed to focusing on methane and carbon dioxide emissions, proposals to slash livestock numbers by as much as 30 per cent are a strong indicator that politicians are finally waking up to the advice of scientists and international organizations such as the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The move comes after the Council of State - the Netherlands’ highest administrative court - ruled in 2019 that the government was breaking EU law by not reducing nitrogen levels in rural areas. Ammonia, a nitrogen compound, when released into waterways and lakes via farm run-off, is toxic to aquatic life. Concentrations as low as 0.02 parts per million can be lethal, while water impaired by manure and ammonia toxicity can result in loss of species diversity.
Manure finding its way into lakes and rivers can have other major consequences. The excess of nutrients in waterways can stimulate the growth of microorganisms, weeds and algal blooms thereby reducing levels of oxygen, also known as eutrophication. Faecal organisms including bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi can cause diseases in animals, and some are transmissible to humans.
The news from the Netherlands is particularly significant given that it is one of Europe’s largest livestock industries and biggest meat exporters, all of which means that for a small country, the environmental burden of animal agriculture is somewhat intensified.
“We are a relatively small country with a lot of inhabitants, industry, transport and agriculture, so we are reaching the limits of what nature can take,” Rudi Buis, a spokesperson for the agriculture ministry, told the Guardian. “There is a high level of urgency for us to tackle the nitrogen compounds problem. This means that in the near future, choices must be made.”
Never miss an article
Stay up-to-date with the weekly Surge newsletter to never miss an article, media production or investigation. We respect your privacy.
Resistance to the proposals is fierce - farmers have already blocked roads in protest at government attempts to limit ammonia from animal waste. Industry bodies including the Netherlands Agricultural and Horticultural Organization (LTO) have proposed voluntary closure or relocation schemes and investment into initiatives promoting farming innovation, however, legal experts have pointed out that laws to enact new climate policies already exist.
In 2020, the UK government unveiled plans to phase out farming subsidies and instead reward farmers and land managers for taking steps to reduce carbon emissions and deliver certain ‘public goods’ including cleaner air and water, improved soil health, reduce environmental hazards and restore natural woodlands, peatlands and other natural landscapes. Other plans announced by Defra include a lump sum payment for older farmers looking to retire, in an effort to bring in new farmers more open to greener forms of agriculture.
However, the plans will indirectly encourage farmers to shift focus to land stewardship and environmental management, whereas the Dutch proposals would directly compel farmers to cut livestock numbers.
The news is likely to be welcomed by both environmental and animal justice campaigners, bolstered by the use of the legal system in the Netherlands to direct politicians to take more seriously the disproportionate impact that animal agriculture has on the world. Campaigners in other countries may well follow the example set by groups such as Friends of the Earth in bringing about legal action to finally hold governments to account for their failure to act.
Andrew Gough is Media and Investigations Manager for Surge.
Your support makes a huge difference to us. Supporting Surge with a monthly or one-off donation enables us to continue our work to end all animal oppression.
LATEST ARTICLES