Netherlands will buy out and close over 2,000 farms in order to reduce emissions

The Netherlands has announced its intention to buy out hundreds of farms which are located near nature reserves. This move is to help meet the country’s target of cutting its nitrogen emissions in half by 2030, which is in accordance with EU conservation rules.

The move comes on the back of protests by farmers in Netherlands who have said that this will destroy their livelihood.

LTO Nederland Chairman Sjaak van der Tak, whose organization represents 35,000 farmers, spoke out against the new emission rules, saying that “This is not going to work.”

Political leaders plan to set aside $25 billion to the buyout plan, which they will use to purchase between 2,000 and 3,000 Dutch farms and other large nitrogen emitters. The leaders have said the amount being offered to farmers is “well over” their property values.

If farmers do not agree to the plan, the buyouts could become compulsory. “There is no better offer coming,” Dutch Nitrogen Minister Christianne van der Wal told members of parliament last week.

The Netherlands has a nitrogen balance nearly twice the European average, the majority of this is said to come from farming.

Farmers have hit back by saying they are being unfairly targeted and that other industries who also have high levels of emissions have remained untouched. Others have also expressed concern that a reduction in the Dutch agriculture sector will result in higher-cost, less-efficient production in other parts of the world.