ISTANBUL

Dutch Council for the Environment and Infrastructure (Rli) said on Thursday that government policies are hindering efforts to make agriculture more sustainable.

"The government wants to make agriculture more sustainable, so you can expect all policies to reflect that," said Rli chairman Jan Jacob van Dijk, according to broadcaster NOS. "However, we see that this isn't the case in practice."

Van Dijk pointed to a buyout scheme for livestock farmers aimed at reducing nitrogen emissions, which allows farmers to sell their animals and farms while retaining ownership of the land. He noted that many of these farmers lease the land to potato and lily growers.

"The result is that nitrogen emissions are reduced, but you get pesticides in return. That's also not good for nature," Van Dijk explained.

The council recommended dividing agriculture activities into production-focused farming in suitable areas. It argued that sustainability would be easier to steer if the government bought land and enabled intensive farmers near vulnerable nature reserves to relocate to areas better suited for production agriculture.

The council also underscored that the underlying problem hindering sustainability efforts is the high price of agricultural land.

"This expensive land needs to generate sufficient revenue, and that encourages intensive use. Moreover, land is a good investment, so many farmers use it for retirement. The money they invest in land isn't invested in sustainability," said Van Dijk.

The council also alleged that the government was responsible for high land prices.

"The government can reform subsidies and tax regulations in such a way that the rise in land prices is mitigated and they only stimulate (less intensive) social agriculture," Van Dijk added.