The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, two Dutch schemes with a total budget of around €1.47 billion to reduce nitrogen deposition on nature conservation areas.
Article continues below
The Netherlands notified the Commission of its plans to adopt two schemes, called LBV and LBV plus, to compensate livestock farmers for the voluntary definitive closure of livestock husbandry sites in the overburdened Natura 2000 areas, as defined in the national legislation.
The schemes, which can run until 27 February 2028, are open to small and medium-sized livestock farmers in the Netherlands that voluntary close their breeding sites, provided that their current nitrogen deposition load exceed certain minimum levels.
Under the €500 million LBV scheme, the aid will take the form of direct grants to compensate up to 100% of the losses incurred by farmers who decide to close their dairy cattle, pig and poultry breeding sites, in particular relating to the loss of production capacity and of production rights.
Depending on the area where the breeding site is situated, to be eligible under the LBV scheme, the breeding site concerned has to have certain minimum levels of nitrogen deposition load per year.
The €975 million LBV plus scheme will be open to so-called peak-load emitting breeding sites who emit a high level of nitrogen per year, fixed as a minimum level.
As the LBV scheme, it will also be open to farmers breeding dairy cattle, pigs and poultry and, in addition, to farmers breeding veal calves.
Also under this measure, the aid will take the form of direct grants to compensate up to 100% of the losses incurred by farmers who decide to close their breeding sites, in particular in relation to the loss of production rights as well as to demolition costs.
As regards the loss of production capacity, under the LBV plus scheme, the farmers concerned may receive up to 120% as compensation.
Under the schemes, the beneficiaries guarantee that the closure of their production capacity is definitive and irreversible, and that they will not start the same breeding activity elsewhere in the Netherlands or within the EU. ■