Roughly 100 farmers gathered at the Ineos Chemical Company site in Antwerp Harbour on Tuesday in protest against an amended nitrogen decree prepared by the Flemish Government, according to the Farmers Defence Force.
The protest action saw dozens of tractors drive through the harbour nearby the proposed Ineos ethane cracker, whose future hangs in the balance of the crucial decree. For months Flemish ministers have been divided regarding proposals to cut the region's nitrogen emissions, which come primarily from farming and industry.
Many farmers feel that industry is being unduly favoured under the decree, which will necessitate that some of the most polluting farms close. Whilst the Flemish State Council had been due to issue an urgent ruling on the nitrogen amendment on Tuesday, this did not happen.
Parliament vote on Thursday
“The government wants to push through the nitrogen agreement by the end of the year to please Ineos,” said Bart Dickens, chairman of the Farmers Defence Force, an activist group that campaigns for the rights of farmers. “There is no regard for us farmers.”
The Farmers Defence Force has long hinted at potential legal action if the proposed nitrogen decree is enacted. The Farmers Union also announced on Tuesday that it would take legal steps if the decree was approved.
A vote on the draft decree is scheduled for a plenary session of Parliament on Thursday. According to the draft document under discussion, major agricultural and industrial contributors to nitrogen emissions will no longer be required to shut down by 2030 but will be allowed to continue operating as long as their environmental impact is halved. However, this condition would require significant investment on their part.
The existing authorisation limits for agriculture and industry would be retained under the decree and the state council's advice would substantiate these limits with clearer scientific arguments.
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Farms that overshoot the established limit on emissions could potentially request an exemption if they undergo a comprehensive environmental audit. Case-by-case reviews would be conducted, though critics fear that this would burden farms with investigations that are hundreds of pages long.
The prospective agreement could allow farmers to purchase emission rights from farms that are closing down.
Nitrogen, a component of manure, slurry, and synthetic fertilisers, are pervasive in Flanders – a region known for intensive farming. However, in excessive quantities, nitrogen acts as a pollutant, contaminating water and reducing soil fertility.
Under European Commission pressure, the Flemish government is striving to reduce nitrogen emissions from the region. Nonetheless, striking a balance has proved challenging amid heavy pressure from the agriculture sector and tensions between the Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie (N-VA) and Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams (CD&V) parties.
