A clear majority of MPs have backed a motion telling caretaker agriculture minister Femke Wiersma that her plan to allow farmers to spread more manure on their land is unacceptable because of its impact on water quality.

MPs voted by 101 to 49 in favour of a ChristenUnie motion calling for a halt, including the right-wing VVD, which currently forms the caretaker cabinet together with Wiersma’s pro-countryside BBB.

Wiersma wants to allow farmers to spread more manure on their land in areas where she says water quality is not at risk. But other BBB and VVD ministers are also concerned about the impact of run-off on ditches and canals and are still in dispute with the farm minister about the plan.

The Dutch intensive farming sector is struggling to deal with reductions in the amount of manure farmers are allowed to spread on their fields, because of the risk of nitrates leaching into the waterways and the high concentration of nitrogen.

Farmers are now being forced to pay high fees to have the manure disposed of in other ways.

In addition, the Netherlands’ exemption from EU limits on manure is due to end in 2026, meaning farmers will be allowed to spread far less animal waste on their own fields.

The ChristenUnie motion leaves the decision on how to deal with excess manure up to the next government.