Gelderland to impose nitrogen limits on farms despite BBB split

Gelderland has become the first province to restrict farming in “buffer zones” around nature reserves to bring down nitrogen compound emissions.

The provincial assembly voted to draw a 500-metre cordon around the Veluwe and three other vulnerable areas, in anticipation of nationwide restrictions that the government is drawing up.

New livestock farms and extensions to existing ones will be banned within the buffer zones from this year.

Other limitations will be phased in over the next 10 years, including a ban on synthetic fertiliser, restrictions on gas consumption and an obligation to make cattle sheds more energy efficient.

The plans have divided the parties in the agricultural province, which has the highest levels of ammonia pollution in the Netherlands.

They were drawn up by Ans Mol, executive member for the farmers’ party BBB, who said that doing nothing would mean “very big risks” for the sector. But seven of the BBB’s 12 assembly members voted against the plan.

Farmers’ protests

Coalition partners VVD, CDA, ChristenUnie and the SGP all backed the measures, which were also supported by the opposition parties GroenLinks, PvdA and D66.

Farmers picketed the provincial assembly building in Arnhem at the weekend to protest against nitrogen restrictions, arguing that they were not supported by evidence and deprived farmers of a future.

The provincial plans have been announced while the government in The Hague is still drawing up its own schedule of measures to bring down nitrogen pollution so that major housebuilding and infrastructure projects can go ahead.

Chris Backes, professor of environmental law at Utrecht University, has warned that some provinces will have to bring in their own measures to prevent the government using the “emergency brake” of a 5% to 10% reduction in heads of cattle.

Farmers are also facing legal action from environmental campaign groups such as Mobilisation for the Environment (MOB), which has petitioned regional courts to cancel the licences for 130 farm businesses.

All construction projects have to obtain a nature permit which shows they comply with environmental regulations, including European limits on nitrogen compound emissions around Natura-2000 conservation areas.