As protests intensified, politicians were unable to offer any real solutions. This autumn, Dutch farmers brought the Netherlands to a standstill after it became clear they would be hit hard for the nitrogen crisis the country is facing. Our industries team lead Pieter van Exter crunches the numbers on nitrogen emissions, and proposes a way forward. Your financial support has helped us to expand our coverage of the coronavirus crisis into the evenings and weekends and make sure you are kept up to date with the latest developments. As for shipping, the fuel used contains much higher levels of dust than petrol or diesel, which means that a greater amount of sulfur dioxide is released. The Council of State said in May that this strategy was not effective enough. This means that we must tackle the main cause of the problem and therefore have to look at agriculture and shipping, but in a way that ensures adequate compensation for those affected, and clear communication of the huge benefits offered by a new kind of circular economy. In addition, nitrogen can also cause acidification of soils. By ruling the PAS strategy to be ineffective, the council effectively called a halt to every project which could lead to an increase in nitrogen emissions, whether a chicken shed or an entire residential development. The construction sector, which is currently suffering a great deal from the court order, is responsible for only 1.7% of the acidifying substances. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. In particular, the manure of the Netherlands’ 4 million cattle, 12 million pigs and, to a lesser extent, 94 million chickens are jointly responsible for the emission of more than 95,000 tonnes of ammonia in 2017. Many thanks to everyone who has donated to DutchNews.nl in recent days! suspending their nitrogen reduction policies, cause health issues and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, to ensure their farms are not breaching the planetary boundaries for safe nitrogen use, a circular food system in Northeast Brabant, Save the date: Two urban farming hackathons with FoodE. Over 100 television and internet packages to choose from, 'My final years in Holland have been most content. The plan, Programma Aanpak Stikstof, was launched in 2015 with the aim of reducing nitrogen emissions (including ammonia and nitrous oxide) in environmentally-sensitive areas such as the Veluwe. In Dutch. In response to the protests, the provinces of Drenthe and Friesland are suspending their nitrogen reduction policies. Nitrogen emissions can also cause health issues and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. The current crisis in the Netherlands might even develop in a broader EU-problem. To ensure that we protect our biodiversity in the Netherlands, it is of the utmost importance that we reduce our nitrogen emissions. Potential solutions include conservation tillage techniques which leave leftover crop residues on top of the soil when planting new crops, advanced soil testing to optimize fertilizer application to maximize the efficiency of crop uptake, reducing use of pesticides that reduce the growth of nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and construction of artificial wetlands to prevent nitrogen runoff from entering aquatic ecosystems. Nitrogen is an important nutrient for plants. 5 By how much do nitrogen emissions need to go down? Nitrogen of course is just one environmental impact to consider in agriculture, so trade-offs must be considered. The cabinet is set to reply to the report by the beginning of October. Among the EU-28 the Netherlands, Spain, Austria, Croatia, Ireland and Germany repeatedly reported emissions exceeding their ceilings. Your contributions make this possible. By developing an understanding of the specific context of the farms, we were able to begin the process of developing limits for nitrogen impacts. Plans to increase the speed limit on some roads have also been cancelled and a number of major residential projects in Eindhoven and The Hague are now in doubt. As a result, biodiversity is falling, and that has negative consequences for nature and people. The low food costs, in combination with high land prices, push farmers into intensive agriculture practices. A six-year construction boom in the Netherlands is set to end next year, a research firm said on Thursday, as uncertainty over European Union rules on nitrogen emissions delays thousands of building projects across the country. Residential housing projects have been delayed. We worked with Alpro to develop targets to ensure their almond and soy farms are operating within planetary boundaries. The cabinet is The DutchNews.nl team would like to thank all the generous readers who have made a donation in recent weeks. If we look further at the contributions within the agricultural and transport sector, it is striking that animal husbandry and shipping in particular play a major role. Our Dutch correspondent Hans Wetzels has more, in … Because nitrogen deposition is a global problem, but it is a particularly significant, and urgent, problem in The Netherlands. There are many ways agriculture can reduce its nitrogen impacts. Livestock farming is the main supplier of ammonia (NH3). If you have not yet made a donation, but would like to, Talking taxation: four issues which you might not have thought about, From Barbie to dinosaurs - here are 14 great things to do in October, The Dutch glasses company that wants to crack the competition, DutchNews podcast – The Great Tit In The Coalmine Edition – Week 39, Spoiled for choice? To enable Verizon Media and our partners to process your personal data select 'I agree', or select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices. After the high-court judgement the Dutch Agricultural Ministry summoned all representatives of the agricultural sector to an office complex called The Red Elephant in the center of The Hague. The Netherlands must take “drastic measures” as soon as possible, as the nitrogen crisis threatens nature reserves. The nitrogen forms of particular concern are nitric oxide (NOx) and ammonia (NH3). 10 Interesting Facts About Earth's Oceans However, due to a surplus of fertilizers, certain plant species can start to dominate ecosystems. The important thing is adequate compensation for those affected – the government is already making compensation available for farmers who want to stop voluntarily. As many as 18,000 construction and infrastructure projects are stalling across the Netherlands, and hundreds of farmers have been protesting in their tractors. They are protesting a Dutch high court decision that in May suspended permits for construction projects that pollute the atmosphere with nitrogen compounds and harm nature reserves. Farm minister Carola Schouten had been due to brief MPs on the latest situation this week but has now delayed this until the end of next week. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. The Dutch nitrogen crisis A court ruling has forced the Netherlands to promptly deal with its high nitrogen emissions. “… © 2020 DutchNews | website by Vindustries. Together, these two sectors are jointly responsible for almost three-quarters of total nitrogen emissions in the Netherlands. Instock puts rescued produce back on the table. Nitrogen emissions. This is particularly a concern for protected zones such as Natura 2000 areas. Nitrogen run-off is even entering waterways and affecting aquatic ecosystems. There are various solutions to reduce and eliminate nitrogen emissions. Unpublished agriculture ministry documents indicate that not only big infrastructure projects, but local issues such as expanding pig farms, are being hit by the nitrogen problems, the paper said. There are interesting solutions for shipping, such as alternative clean fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia, but this article will focus on agriculture. To solve the problem, some politicians proposed reducing nitrogen emissions by halving the country’s livestock population, provoking the protests by farmers. The quality of nature in the Netherlands has decreased due to nitrogen emissions in recent years. As many as 18,000 construction and infrastructure projects are stalling across the Netherlands, and hundreds Unpublished agriculture ministry documents indicate that not only big infrastructure projects, but local issues such as expanding pig farms, are being hit by the nitrogen problems, the paper said. Yahoo is part of Verizon Media. This measure can also lead to a substantial reduction in the emission of ammonia. DutchNews.nl has been free for 14 years, but without the financial backing of our readers, we would not be able to provide you with fair and accurate news and features about all things Dutch. Photo: Depositphotos.com. We and our partners will store and/or access information on your device through the use of cookies and similar technologies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Pointing a finger at farmers to blame them for the situation the Netherlands is easy but unfair. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls. The Netherlands is actually a net exporter of nitrogen: four times as much nitrogen is blown over the border than comes into the country. The Telegraaf quoted the example of an emissions-neutral nursing home project bordering a nature reserve which has been hit by the ruling. The biggest impact can indeed be made by reducing the number of livestock. It enabled projects which led to additional nitrogen emissions to go ahead, as long as there was compensation at a later date.