The European Commission has approved a further €50 million to compensate Dutch livestock farmers for voluntarily closing livestock farming sites in nature conservation areas in the Netherlands.
The new scheme aims to reduce nitrogen (N) deposition caused by farming activities in “overburdened” Natura 2000 sites, in the light of the conservation objectives and requirements of the Birds and Habitats Directives.
The Natura 2000 network comprises over 27,000 nature sites protected by EU legislation, covering almost one fifth or land and one tenth of surrounding seas, according to the European Commission.
The scheme will be open to small and medium-sized (SMEs) farmers in the Netherlands that voluntarily and irrevocably close their livestock husbandry sites, where their N deposition load exceeds certain minimum levels.
Dutch livestock farmers
Aid in the form of direct grants will cover up to 120% of the eligible costs, including the compensation for the loss of production capacity and for the costs of dismantling and disposing of the production capacity.
The scheme complements three existing Dutch closure schemes (LBV, LBV-plus and MGB), which have been approved by the European Commission in May 2023 and August 2024 to reduce N depositions on nature conservation areas.
The latest scheme concerns livestock husbandry sites with specific categories of animals and N deposition ceilings which are not previously covered by the existing schemes. Livestock farmers can only participate in one of those schemes.
The European Commission said the scheme is necessary and appropriate to achieve the sustainable and environmentally friendly development of livestock farming, while also supporting the objectives of the Green Deal.
The new five-year Dutch closure scheme was approved under EU State aid rules. The European Commission concluded that the scheme is proportionate and will have a limited impact on competition and trade in the EU.