Limburg farmer also wants to become more sustainable

Daily newspaper Trouw recently conducted the largest opinion survey ever conducted among farmers. De Staat van de Boer' shows that the need to reform agriculture is very much alive among Dutch farmers. More than 80 percent want to switch to nature-friendly methods. Almost half of the agricultural companies say they want to switch to a more sustainable form of agriculture within ten years. The state of affairs in Limburg is in line with this.

"Of course we also see the developments in society," says LLTB chairman Léon Faassen. "Our members respond to that, it is actually a matter of course to move with the wishes of society. People are increasingly interested in how food is made, that is a social trend. The side note is that farmers ultimately have to earn something from it. A fair price, that's where the challenge lies. There is certainly a desire and willingness on the part of farmers.

More sustainable business practices
The national results show that farmers want a change of course. Although only 6 percent of the surveyed farmers work organically, a large majority of "conventional" farmers want to make the switch to more sustainable business practices. More than half of the farmers think that agricultural companies should no longer focus on export but should opt for 'nature-inclusive' agriculture in which there is 'cooperation' with nature, ultimately without pesticides. Over 70 percent no longer find it acceptable that nature is put under pressure by even more intensive agriculture and livestock farming. In the eyes of the farmer, this more sustainable approach is not only less polluting but also economically stronger.

According to Professor Han Wiskerke of Wageningen University who supervised the project, the research is representative and useful for new policy. That can be more sustainable, but must be fixed for a longer period of time to give farmers more certainty for when they want to make new investments.

For more articles on The State of the Farmer, visit destaatvandeboer.trouw.nl.

Source: Trouw and LLTB