The recently formed coalition government in the Netherlands has earmarked €25 billion, to be made available until 2035, to aid the farming sector in transitioning to become more environmentally friendly.

Reports suggest that this fund, among other things, will facilitate a significant reduction in livestock numbers in the country.

With more than 100 million cattle, sheep and pigs, the Netherlands has one of the largest livestock sectors in Europe. Consequently, this has caused a serious pollution issue as a result of high levels of nitrogen pollution from manure.

In 2019, the Council of State ruled that the Netherlands was in breach of EU law in terms of its strategy for reducing excess nitrogen in vulnerable areas.

The coalition’s planned reduction in livestock numbers, which has been debated for some time, is aimed at addressing this issue. Such proposals have faced a huge backlash from farmers.

Reports indicate that the Dutch plan may involve paying farmers to exit the industry and assisting others in transitioning to a more environmentally friendly way of farming.

The topic of Ireland’s national herd, and a potential cull, has been raised frequently in recent months as government acts to address the climate crisis and implement our own sectoral solutions.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalgue, and the Taoiseach, Michéal Martin have, so far, indicated that a national herd cull is not part of the agricultural sector’s response to the crisis.

The government line has been consistent in its message that the priority is to reduce emissions, not food production.