That's how it can be!

These are farmers who are also busy with their future. In a different way than with blockages, protests, intimidation and threats. Constructive. Yesterday, the caringfarmers in Maartensdijk held their Carings Farmer Day . 100 farmers gather to talk about nature-inclusive circular agriculture and #farmerpassion . There were no traffic jams.

Sustainable dairy farmer Dittie van Zee is not so concerned with nitrogen. Sustainable livestock farmer Dittie van Zee: 'The longer the government lingers with the nitrogen plan, the longer farmers have to wait with sustainable investments'.

Image Maikel Samuels.

Dittie van Zee does everything to make the life of her sixty cows and calves as pleasant as possible. Willows and oak trees on her land protect livestock from the warm sun. The amount of livestock is closely matched to the amount of living space . And newborn calves stay as close to the mother cow as possible. So they can drink natural milk, learn to chew well, and to just receive some maternal love. Because love, that's what cattle farmer Van Zee's working method is all about, she says. For the animal and nature. She sees herself as a sustainable farmer and meets around a hundred other farmers in Maartensdijk in Utrecht on Tuesday. To talk about their farming passion, poured into nature-inclusive circular agriculture. This comes down to the question of how a farmer can be self-sufficient. Agriculture where there is no place for fertiliser. Where farmers are reusing raw materials. 

'Being a farmer is a way of life'

Where farmers grow animal feed themselves and animals get enough living space, so that they are less likely to get sick and therefore need less antibiotics.

In short, a radically different agricultural method than that is based on as much production as possible, such as intensive livestock farms work. “Of course, we want to be able to live well, but the money is not leading,” emphasizes Van Zee. “Being a farmer is a way of living. Then taking good care of your environment is paramount.” Honderduit, she tells about her family's circular farm in Herwijnen, Gelderland, without taking the word nitrogen in the mouth. The fact that the members of the sustainable farmers club Caring Farmers come together on the day before the announced farmer protest in Stroe is a coincidence. Nitrogen is not such a prominent topic of discussion among sustainable farmers, says Van Zee. Not as prominent, at least as among politicians, media and other farmers. Dittie van Zee: 'I understand the frustration, but I hope farmers are also open to other noises in society'.
Breathing space to make it more sustainable
“Of course, nitrogen is important,” she says. “But so is the climate, just like animal welfare. If we take all these aspects into account and organize an agriculture that is self-sufficient, with fewer animals and less exports, nitrogen emissions will automatically decrease, and the nitrogen discussion disappears into the background.” That discussion is only a derivative of what should be a much larger discussion, the sustainable farmers believe: our food consumption. Because if we eat less meat, agriculture gets breathing room to make it more sustainable. And then maybe more farmers are needed, Van Zee suspects. Circular agriculture is rather labor-intensive.

She therefore cannot agree with the cabinet's nitrogen plans to drastically reduce the number of livestock farms. Too rigorous, she says. Without attention to the social and economic consequences for farmers. “And what's going to happen to the landscape?”, Van Zee wonders. “Farmers are full of doubts and questions about their future. Young people no longer feel like it. And if we have to work too much according to a straitjacket, the fun is done too. Agriculture is also about being creative, coming up with solutions for your field yourself. But the longer the government lingers with the nitrogen plan, the longer farmers have to wait with (sustainable) investments.” The sustainable farmers will not demonstrate on Wednesday. “That doesn't suit me,” says Van Zee. “I understand the frustration, but I hope farmers are also open to other noises in society. Sustainability is simply necessary and we will have to work with the government. We want to set a good example in this.”
Source:
https://www.trouw.nl/duurzaamheid-natuur/duurzame-melkveehouder-dittie-van-zee-is-niet-zo-bezig-met-stikstof~bf28805d/?referrer=https%3A%2F%2Ft.co%2F