Government plans to expropriate Dutch farmers leaked earlier this week. Farms should be forced to close down because of their nitrogen emissions. The cost of this operation could amount up to 17 billion euros.
The signatories of the letter argue that in stead of spending this much on shutting down farms, the government should rather stimulate cooperation between the chemical industry, the food industry and the agro sector with major incentives. The agro sector is very much needed for the cultivation of biobased raw materials, in addition to food, they said. The cultivation of biobased feedstocks for the chemical, plastics and building industry can provide employment as well as a net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere. These negative emissions, as well as the replacement of fossil resources by renewable materials, are badly needed to achieve the Dutch and European climate targets.
The letter was signed by Brightsite, Economisch Netwerk Zuid-Nederland (EN Zuid), Chemport Europe, Circular Biobased Delta, LTO Nederland and 25 experts, ranging from scientists to business officials and consultants. The full text is available on LinkedIn.
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